For the first time in history, the Toronto Raptors win the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship overcoming the defending champions, the California Golden State Warriors, in the 2019 NBA finals. Game six of the finals resulted in a score of 114-110 Toronto on June 13, leading to their first championship for Canada. Enjoying the win along with the team is the NBA’s youngest general manager, Bobby Webster, a native of Kailua, Hawaii.

The Sam Adams Associates for Integrity presented in October former NSA employee and intelligence leaker Edward Snowden with the Integrity Award in Intelligence. The presentation of the award and a speech by Snowden were both recorded in Moscow, Russia. The footage was the first video taken of Snowden since he fled to Russia for political asylum. However, AP reports Snowden’s request for clemency made in early November to the U.S. government has been denied.

At the close of the October 2020 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced a new temple to be built in Kiribati. BYU–Hawaii students from Kiribati and those who served there described the announcement as an answer to prayers.

Over 900 people are dead after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti and Jamaica on Oct. 3, which was then followed by an outbreak of cholera, according to the New York Times. The Associated Press reported the death toll in the United States to have reached 23 and hit Florida on Oct. 7.

Students at BYU-Hawaii said they appreciate the cultural and ethnic diversity of the student body because it changes their outlook on life and their way of thinking for the better.“It really changes the dynamic of the whole university,” said Dallen Kay, a sophomore majoring in communications from Oregon. “Just today I interacted with people from six different countries. And that’s just in passing. In the classroom is where I am so amazed at the different ideologies and cultural mix.”BYUH’s website states, “Its small campus is a unique laboratory of intercultural leadership development, where a diverse population of 2,500 students representing over 70 countries live, study, and work together.” BYUH is ranked No. 15 in the nation for ethnic diversity, with a student body composition high above the national average, according to collegefactual.com. Tucker Grimshaw, an English 101 instructor from San Diego, Calif., said, “I love teaching students from all over the world… The classroom becomes a vibrant and sacred place because we are actually learning from everyone in the room.” Grimshaw added poignantly, “The students inspire me.” Rachel Leota, a freshman political science major from Australia, reflected on her experiences at home and how the classroom has always been a multicultural experience for her. The diversity at BYUH, “helps me see how different people learn and also how their individual culture affects their education,” added Leota. Kai Hughes, a junior majoring in international cultural studies from American Samoa, said, “It’s really a blessing to be around people who share the same culture as me and with the same goals of furthering our education.” Jeffrey Huang, a senior in international business management from Arizona, said, “I knew nothing about Pacific Rim cultures before coming here, and now I have learned so much regarding values and traditions. Even my perspective on my own culture has changed.”The College Board of Education outlined the benefits of a diverse student population, which include, “promoting cross-racial understanding, breaking down racial stereotypes, and promoting livelier and more enlightening classroom discussion.” Additionally, “a student’s diversity experience overall (including but not limited to racial and ethnic diversity) is associated with higher learning such as enhanced critical thinking skills, more involvement in community service, and a greater likelihood for retention and graduation.”Besides the ethnic diversity of BYUH, the university website reported most students, “speak two or more languages, including a number who have completed missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brought together, they contribute to a vibrant campus community, where warmth and the spirit of aloha prevail.” The prime event embracing the cultural diversity on campus will light up the Cannon Activities Center at 9 p.m. on March 27 and 28. BYUHSA clubs will be highlighting their way of dance, song, and cultural presentation.Uploaded March 11, 2015

Iolani Palace remained a royal residence up until the reign of Queen Lili´uokalani, said Hardy Spoehr, a palace tour guide. Originally constructed in 1882 by King Kalakaua, the last king of Hawaii built the palace at a cost of about $330,000, a figure Spoehr said would be equivalent to millions of dollars today.

Rebekah Kay Strain said her love for hiking helps her to discover herself and connect with nature. Strain said she hikes every week for her mental health and tries to instill her love for nature in her children. She also shared some of her favorite hikes and gives some tips for beginners.

Temple grounds are places for contemplation and peace, said Elder Garth Rasmussen, who visited temples in Japan and Hawaii both as a young and senior missionary. They also serve as teachings to overcome ignorance and pride, says the Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple’s website.

Storm-spawned tornadoes have ravaged several mid-west and southern states since Sunday, April 27, taking at least 35 lives, injuring hundreds, and destroying property in dozens of towns across Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi. “It makes you just take a breath now,” said tornado survivor Kenneth Billingsley of Mississippi. “It makes you pay attention to life.”A first assessment by the government totaled 11 tornadoes that blasted through the Midwest, and the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said that at least 25 twisters hit the South on Monday, April 28. A gas station in Tupelo, Mississippi was flattened to the ground and a fire station in Kimberly, Alabama was unable to free the fire trucks in order to aid the town, reported to AP.Yury Zavala, a recent graduate in psychology from Alabama, lived in the tornado-prone state for 13 years. In April of 2011, tornadoes killed more than 250 people in Alabama. Zavala said that residents can take precautions to protect themselves, like getting in underground shelters or bathtubs, but there is nothing to do to protect homes or buildings. “The weather has been off. It’s been cold one day and warm the next. That’s when you know it’s tornado season. When it’s raining and then stops suddenly you know a tornado is coming, maybe 10 minutes away.” The deadly tornadoes were a product of weather patterns from across the nation as cool air from California met with warm, damp air from the Gulf of Mexico. The mix of colliding warm and cold weather is what creates a tornado.Twisters turn the sky dark, according to Jillann Mackey, a junior in biology from Arizona. She saw a tornado while she was in Utah, a more unusual location for a twister. “I looked out the window and saw it coming straight towards the house. Then it suddenly changed direction. The sky was as dark as I had ever seen it.”The storm system has moved south, leaving the more northern states of Mississippi and Alabama with heaps of rubble to clean up, and families with lives to reassemble. The southern states still remain on active alert for more twisters.