The Conversation

A keiki program supports student entrepreneurs, giving island youth hands-on experience to build a business from the ground up. The Conversation sat down with Donna Therrien of the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation to get the details.

How is the e-bike market in Hawaiʻi doing? The Conversation sat down with Lee Chamberlain, one of the owners of RideSmart Maui, to discuss e-bikes and the biking lifestyle on the Valley Isle.

A military mom shares her experience after several military households report a chemical smell or fuel fumes in their drinking water; an owner of an eBike shop on Maui talks recent sales and the state of the biking lifestyle on the Valley Isle; and the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation discusses its online Made in Hawaiʻi Marketplace for Kids by Kids.

The U.S. Navy said it is investigating reports of a "chemical smell" in drinking water at some military homes in the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam area. Meanwhile, the state Department of Health recommended late Monday that "all Navy water system users avoid using the water for drinking, cooking, or oral hygiene."

A local research scientist and the leader of Conservation International join us as guests for a live call-in show about conservation. How do we protect the natural beauty of our islands? And how do we pay for it? We discuss looking after not just land and water, but also vulnerable plants, animals, and the many other parts of our overall environment.

Last Monday, 43 staff and crew shipped out of Honolulu on the Ocean Exploration Trust's exploration vessel Nautilus, headed to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The Conversation connected with education coordinator Andy Collins and team leader Emil Petruncio to talk about the expedition.

This Thanksgiving week, you might be thinking about food — although maybe not Korean food. One local woman credits Korean food with transforming her life, helping her to lose 110 pounds in one year. Author Africa Yoon said a turning point came in the form of an interaction with an elderly Korean woman at a Korean store in New Jersey.

Hawaiʻi passed a grim milestone over the weekend — 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Earlier this month, the Central Union Church of Honolulu marked All Saints' Day with a ceremony honoring each life lost.

An Oʻahu resident remembers her mother's journey out of the USSR after losing her to COVID; Central Union Church shares how they honored lives lost during the pandemic; a local author talks about her new book and how kimchi changed her life; we learn more about the Akiapolaʻau, a rare honeycreeper living on Hawaiʻi Island in today's Manu Minute; and two crewmembers aboard an exploration vessel discuss their voyage to explore the Pacific Ocean floor.

Before in-person events for the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival finished up, HPR’s Noe Tanigawa joined The Conversation to talk about virtual reality versus fiscal reality. HIFF saw a massive increase in online viewership in 2020, but streaming has not brought in the same amount of ticket revenue as in-person screenings.