Cassie Ordonio
Culture & Arts ReporterCassie Ordonio is the culture and arts reporter for Hawaiʻi Public Radio. She previously worked for Honolulu Civil Beat, covering local government, education, homelessness and affordable housing.
She also reported for San Francisco-based newspapers El Tecolote, 48 Hills, Ingleside Light and Castro Courier.
Cassie, of Filipino and Chamorro descent, was born and raised in California. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2021 with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Pacific Islands studies.
She was one of 22 fellows for AAJA Voices, a mentorship program that aims to increase diversity in journalism while providing mentors from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN to train them.
When she’s not working, she’s on a desperate search for some good horchata or simply trying to keep her house plants alive.
Contact Cassie at cordonio@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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The Archive for Health, Arts, and Spirit provides trauma-informed, arts-based gatherings for Maui fire survivors. The nonprofit was able to do that work with a $100,000 grant from the White House Initiative on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. -
Mitzi Toro, the cookie lady herself, said she was speechless when she learned the news. Toro said she doesn’t expect to win the top recognition, but is happy to be nominated. -
A Hawaiʻi short film called “The Arrangements,” set in a rough Oʻahu neighborhood, has been selected for a film festival on the continent. The 16-minute film centers around a group of Micronesian boys embarking on a journey to find their friend’s treasure as they plan for his funeral. -
Hawaiʻi arts organizations are already feeling the effects of President Donald Trump's proposed elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports. -
HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports on the cuts the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival faces due to the Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the NEA. -
Leaders of the nonprofit Hawaii Theatre Center are asking the state to purchase the more than century-old building. However, it's unclear whether the state will take on the financial responsibility due to the uncertainty of federal funding. -
The measure would give the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts $300,000 annually for the next two years to support performing arts. -
Andrea Christina Caymo-Kauhanen, the executive director of the Filipino Community Center, said that while the attack at last week’s event in Canada wasn’t racially motivated, she wanted to take extra precautions by bumping up security. -
Ava Taesali founded the Kava Queen Kava Bar four years ago. She's striving to help grow her business while promoting the cultural beverage. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports. -
Printmakers and lei makers have collaborated on a months-long project to weave together two different art forms. HPR's Cassie Ordonio has more.
