2024 Sour Poi Awards
A look back at the mind-boggling, maddening and mystifying news of a tumultuous year.
Much of 2024 now feels like a fever dream filled with news that required repeated reality checks. How else to explain a police chief who forgot his Glock in the restroom (more than once!); a contractor who built a house, then realized it was on the wrong lot; or the ethos at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, where officials prioritized designating an official day to celebrate kim chee while more pressing matters languished?
Since our last edition of HONOLULU’s annual Sour Poi Awards, we’ve all witnessed some wacky stuff. We know sour poi delivers a pleasantly tangy taste and hope you share our appetite for it and for our tongue-in-cheek humor as we reflect back, poke fun and hope for brighter tomorrows.
Lights Out
June power outages plunged Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown into darkness for days, closing restaurants, stores and offices, disrupting services and costing businesses tens of thousands of dollars. Already under siege after the Maui wildfires, Hawaiian Electric was targeted for more criticism for the blackouts and the time it took to repair what was blamed on an aging and damaged underground cable.
Unlocked and Loaded
Kaua‘i Police Chief Todd Raybuck announced his retirement the week before the county police commission suspended him for three days without pay after he left a loaded gun in the stall of a police restroom—for the second time in two years. An officer filed a report after he found a Glock wedged between the wall and a grab bar. Only then did SHOPO, the police union, realize this was the second time Raybuck had forgotten his official weapon in the same stall of an office bathroom. This followed allegations that Raybuck had mocked Japanese people. The commission dismissed allegations that he retaliated against officers who were involved in the firearm investigation, saying it found no evidence of that. In mid-November, Raybuck announced he was retiring in 2025 to focus on family, health and wellness.
Cleared?
Former Honolulu City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro and prominent businessman Dennis Mitsunaga were found not guilty after an eight-year investigation and a highly followed, complicated bribery and corruption case. Despite the verdict, the trial raised startling allegations, including that co-defendant and Mitsunaga attorney Sheri Tanaka hired a hitman to target a federal judge. And as the trial came to a close, Mitsunaga was ordered to spend days in jail on suspicion of witness tampering.
Last Call
Honolulu Liquor Commission Vice Chair Lisa Martin was forced to resign in April after an alleged drunken confrontation at a Waikīkī bar, where she flashed her badge and demanded to be served while intoxicated, according to a police report obtained by Hawai‘i News Now. She had been appointed just four months earlier in an effort to clean up the long-troubled agency.
Get S*** Done Day?
We do love kim chee and respect Korean culture. But when Hawai‘i lawmakers passed a bill, which Gov. Josh Green swiftly signed into law, to officially designate Nov. 22 as Kimchi Day, we wondered whether they might have considered applying that “get-things-done” work ethic to more weighty matters.
We’re No. 1
A nationwide study of 5,000 drivers tagged Hawai‘i as having the worst drivers in the country when it comes to speeding 20 mph (or more!) over the limit, running red lights (tied with Texas and Oregon), and changing lanes or turning without signaling. Forbes Advisor also cited Hawai‘i motorists for driving under the influence and texting. At least other states were worse when it comes to eating while driving.
Door’s (Not) Open
Former Hawai‘i Island Mayor Mitch Roth, already in a battle to keep his job while running against Kimo Alameda, found himself the target of a fake email inviting the houseless community to shower and sleep at his house with “no need to knock.” Hawai‘i County police posted up at Roth’s home but reported no arrests needed.
Fore!
A former CIA officer who worked on contract as a translator for the FBI in Honolulu was sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying for China. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma was arrested after admitting to providing classified information to the Chinese government while accepting thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts, including golf clubs.
Payroll 101
More than 540 public and charter school teachers missed their first paychecks of the school year, prompting a grievance by the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association. The State Department of Education blamed the gaffe on onboarding delays of new hires before issuing checks, then had to cough up extra funds to compensate for the delays.
A Lot of Trouble
A Hawai’i County judge ordered that a house in Hawaiian Paradise Park be demolished and the debris removed after it was mistakenly built—at a cost of about $300,000—on the wrong lot. It seems a contractor located the job site by counting the telephone poles rather than conducting a survey, then built on the wrong side of the pole. The judge ruled the contractor must pay to remove the house. The mistake turned up when a real estate agent hired by the developer sold the house then found a problem when she checked the title of the property in what’s normally a routine step.
Hitting Turbulence
After the $1.9 billion merger of Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines received final approval in September, dozens of nonunion Hawaiian employees learned they would be losing their jobs. While the majority of Hawaiian’s workers kept their positions, the cuts that did come were on the heels of executive golden parachutes totaling $25 million in cash and stocks, clouding the initial days of the union.
Justice Denied
After decades of controversy, community anger and wrongful convictions, a break finally came in the infamous 1991 Hawai‘i Island murder of college student Dana Ireland. Armed with new DNA evidence, Hawai‘i County police interviewed a suspect then released him; shortly after, the man killed himself at home.
Stairway to Arrest
The simmering legal wrangle over the long-closed Ha‘ikū Stairs continues, and despite parts of the old Navy structure being removed, hikers still attempt the trek. Arrests for criminal trespassing are ongoing as state conservation officials repeatedly warn that the hike is particularly dangerous to traverse now that dismantling has begun.
Pikachu Power!
Yes, your 2024 ballot did offer you the opportunity to vote for Shelby Pikachu Billionaire representing the We The People party for U.S. Senate. While Sen. Mazie Hirono won reelection, Billionaire wrote in his Civil Beat Q&A that the animated TV series Captain Planet held the keys to dealing with climate change: planet, earth, fire, wind, water, heart. He described himself like this: “I am Kanaka Maoli and will feed the people in Congress and staff members chocolate macadamia nuts, coffee and cook meat jun.” Here’s hoping he runs for another office.
Ewww!
Kaua‘i’s famously scenic Kalalau Trail closed for nearly a month after norovirus sickened dozens of hikers and campers. After group after group became ill—at least one person had to be evacuated by helicopter for urgent care—the state Health Department shut down the remote path along the Nā Pali Coast. Cleaning, disinfecting and a sewage airlift ensued before the popular wilderness trek reopened.
Lured by Lulu
Brash burglaries continued to plague retailers and businesses across the island, with thieves grabbing everything from cash registers and alcohol to the latest leggings. In October, Honolulu police sought the public’s help in identifying two male suspects—one wore a blond and brown women’s wig—caught on security cameras stuffing women’s Lululemon leggings into bags without paying. One of the suspects tussled with the store’s security guard near the door of the popular brand’s Ala Moana Center store, but both men got away.
Dead Pool
After decades of stench, continuing leaks into offices and millions of dollars spent on repairs and maintenance at the iconic Hawai‘i State Capitol ponds, state officials say the reflecting pools meant to represent the ocean must be replaced by waterless artwork. Even as artist Solomon Enos worked on a new design, architects, community members and historic preservation advocates objected to the failure to fix the 55-year-old ponds, noting functional ponds have thrived worldwide for generations.
Tulsi (at Least for) Now
Former Hawai‘i U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard swung back into the national spotlight while supporting Donald Trump during his campaign. In November, after the election, Trump nominated the former Democrat to serve as the country’s director of national intelligence. Just six years prior, Gabbard tweeted critically about Trump’s continued support of Saudi Arabia, saying, “Being Saudi Arabia’s bitch is not ‘America First.’” Then four years later, she claimed the Democratic Party was “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers, driven by cowardly wokeness.”
Navy Still in Hot Water
Distrust already ran high after the U.S. Navy allowed Red Hill fuel to contaminate the area’s water system in 2021, sickening thousands and threatening O‘ahu’s water supply. After the Navy spent years defending its water testing and work record, the federal government issued scathing reports about its handling of the contamination even after spending more than $2 billion. The reports pointed to mismanagement and lack of emergency response plans, and pressed the Navy to explain what it’s doing to prevent similar future disasters.
Fake News?
We’re sad to see the decline of newspapers continuing with fewer local journalists, and one case where artificial intelligence was employed as an alternative for online reports. O‘ahu Publications, parent company of The Garden Island, experimented with computer-generated anchors reading short newscasts created by an Israeli startup. Managers insist the “powered by AI” reports were based on the work of the paper’s editorial team and that the avatars weren’t replacing humans but quit the effort after 20 shows.
Did He Have To Be From Hawai‘i?
A federal grand jury indicted Ka‘a‘awa resident and home builder Ryan Wesley Routh for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump while he was running for office. In September, Secret Service agents with Trump at his West Palm Beach Golf Course reported seeing a man later identified as Routh in bushes along the fence line with a high-powered rifle. He fled in a car but was later arrested. Routh is in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Moon Shot
In preparation for a global disaster on Earth, scientists are considering preserving animal cells by storing them on the moon, according to researchers from the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology and the Smithsonian Institution. The creation of a lunar biorepository would target the most at-risk species on Earth. Tests began closer to home with skin cells from a reef fish found in Hawaiian waters—known as the starry goby—being successfully cryopreserved.
Witness Protection?
After striking a plea deal to testify against convicted Hawai‘i crime boss Michael Miske, Jake Smith was assaulted three times in federal prison in Honolulu before receiving a 10-year prison sentence in October. With the threat of future retaliation, U.S. Judge Derrick Watson recommended that Smith serve his time in Nevada or Arizona or in a “dropout yard” designed for high-risk inmates. Federal officials did not disclose his location.
Whale Rider?
Hundreds of beachgoers near Fort DeRussy in Waikīkī watched in horror as a lone distressed baby humpback whale tried to beach itself. While onlookers called for help, a woman dashed into the water and climbed aboard the confused calf, attempting to ride it—and ignoring shouts from others on the beach to get off. Fortunately, Ocean Safety teams arrived on Jet Skis to steer the calf back into the water. Although this happened in December 2023, after last year’s Sour Poi issue went to press, the incident merited a mention.
Bait and Kill
State harbors officials reported a gruesome discovery at Ke‘ehi Lagoon’s small boat harbor in October—at least eight cats dead under suspicious circumstances, including a beheaded one. Even creepier, some of them were found near piles of cat food despite a ban on feeding feral cats there (because of the potential spread of deadly toxoplasmosis to marine animals).
Xavier Urbano is an O‘ahu-based tattoo artist and illustrator, known for his bold and detailed designs.
IG: @xaviertattooer
