Aloha State Daily - Hawaii News

Pritchett Cartoon: AI panic ...

John PritchettSeptember 16, 2026

Saint Louis football makes coaching change

Leonard Lau will immediately take over as interim head coach for the Crusaders after Tupu Alualu was let go by the school on Monday.

Christian ShimabukuSeptember 15, 2026

Jessica’s Restaurant is now open in Kapolei

The business, known for its local-style Filipino comfort foods, recently moved from ʻAiea to Kapolei. Jessica’s Restaurant has added Italian dishes — ranging from chicken fettucine alfredo to garlic shrimp linguine — to its menu, and plans to eventually open until 2 a.m.

Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 15, 2026

Neighbors is a new bakeshop pop-up in Honolulu

Owned by Sean Miguel and Mehana Coen, Neighbors Bakeshop opened in July and pops up at events across Oʻahu. The biz specializes in cookies and cinnamon rolls; you can catch Neighbors at fishcake in Kakaʻako every other Wednesday.

Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 15, 2026

Community Voices: A Fair Tax

Legislators are already gearing for the next legislative session — including new tax policies. This week, Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawai‘i, writes about how they could bring more fairness to taxes in Hawai‘i, along with insights into why "fair taxes" can be so difficult to define.

Tom YamachikaSeptember 15, 2026

Community Voices: Building a more free and prosperous Hawai‘i — together

Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i just celebrated its 25th anniversary. President and CEO Keli‘i Akina, Ph.D., reflects on the organization's successes at building consensus around positive policy changes for Hawai‘i.

Keliʻi AkinaSeptember 15, 2026

Bill passed by City Council would allow farmers markets in underutilized parks

The Honolulu City Council passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow the Department of Parks and Recreation to permit nonprofit organizations to host farmers markets and food distribution events in underutilized public parks.

Haley LehmanSeptember 15, 2026

Hawaiʻi’s $300,000 transit-oriented development trip should go to Japan

Lawmakers and state staff have $300,000 to fly somewhere and study development around rail stations. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why the trip is worth taking, why Singapore and Vienna are the wrong models, and why Hawaiʻi should book Tokyo and stay long enough to make a friend.

Sterling HigaSeptember 15, 2026

At Lahaina bakery Papi's ‘Ohana, every pastry is a blessing

Behind every fresh cinnamon roll is days of work and love at this family-run business. Lahaina-based Papi’s ʻOhana, known for its huge, warm cinnamon rolls, celebrated its fourth anniversary this summer. Aloha State Daily recently caught up with chef David and Linda Escobar, who tell us more about the bakery’s early days, how it got its name, and what lies ahead for 2027.

Kelli Shiroma BraiottaSeptember 15, 2026