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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Linda Barchman in Hawaiʻi Kai. "Looking west in Hawaiʻi Kai, my view is blocked by a ridge. Always looking for a colorful sunset even though I can't see the sun drop into the ocean."

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<title>Hawai'i Skies: Blocked by a ridge</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Linda Barchman in Hawaiʻi Kai.

Hawai'i Skies: Blocked by a ridge

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Linda Barchman in Hawaiʻi Kai. "Looking west in Hawaiʻi Kai, my view is blocked by a ridge. Always looking for a colorful sunset even though I can't see the sun drop into the ocean." To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

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Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Honolulu drivers may share the road with other users under a City Council bill that would implement “shared street” measures.

, to be discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of the Honolulu City Council, would call upon the Department of Transportation Services to develop “shared street” plans: sections of street where priority is given to pedestrians and other “non-motorized users.”

Those plans would implement “traffic calming measures,” physical design strategies intended to “reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use and improve the safety of non-motorized users,” limiting speed limits within Shared Street areas to no more than 5 miles per hour.

The bill does not set specifics for where these plans would be implemented, but suggests potential features such as “curb-free design,” green infrastructure and other amenities.

Downtown Honolulu Councilman Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who will introduce the bill Wednesday, told Aloha State Daily that there are already Shared Streets throughout Honolulu in all but name.

“For example, if you think about that stretch of Merchant Street by the Downtown Post Office, that’s kind of already being used as a Shared Street,” Santos-Tam said, before pointing to Duke’s Lane in Waikīkī as another example.

These roads, he said, are heavily pedestrianized, with Duke’s Lane in particular already including several of the suggested traffic calming measures, such as minimal curbs and bollards to slow traffic.

“This doesn’t mean Kapi‘olani [Boulevard] will be pedestrianized,” Santos-Tam said. “But there are already places where we are already doing this.”

The whole concept, Santos-Tam said, is a response to this year’s higher-than-normal rate of fatal car crashes — the Honolulu Police Department reports there have been 71 fatal crashes on the island this year to-date, compared to only 38 in the same period of 2024. He said a commonality across these crashes has been drivers moving too fast to stop for pedestrians and cyclists.

 passed by the state House of Representatives earlier this year which called for the City and County to develop a “Summer Streets Pilot Program," a hypothetical program that would similarly open up certain streets to pedestrians and the like during summer months.

That resolution was adopted in April to broad support, although it hasn’t yet led to an actual program — as House resolutions are non-binding, Santos-Tam said his bill was needed to formalize a program into City ordinances.

[{"type":"text","text":"“And I thought, let’s talk about doing it year-round,” he said."}]

Santos-Tam said ideal Shared Streets could be comparable to places like urban Japan, where he said streets are not based solely around motor vehicle throughput.

“Bikes and cars can happily coexist,” he said. “But it doesn’t happen by accident. There are intentional design choices we can do … People have realized that public spaces have value beyond just being places for cars to drive.”

Tyler Dos Santos Tam Headshot 16x9

<title>Council to mull "Shared Streets" proposal</title>

Council bill would establish pedestrian-friendly roads around Honolulu.

Council to mull "Shared Streets" proposal

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Rick Hamada

Aloha Spirit

Columnists

Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking, or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses can be 

 with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work, or family activities. 

It is important to note that frank conversations about mental illness should and must take place both in public and private. A stigma has been created over generations that have made such discussions taboo. Such issues which remain in the dark must have a bright light shone upon them to reverse irrational stereotypes and prayerfully lead to collective healing.

Mental illness is on the same page as physical illness. We understandably rush to manage or even cure afflictions such as a cold or the flu. Even more attention to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and more without hesitation. We’ll share these ailments freely with others, wear shirts proclaiming the need for a cure and attend fundraisers or even volunteer at very public events.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"And deservedly so."}]

But mental illness is relegated to the back of the bus. A majority do not want to share with others their mental afflictions, there is nary a T-shirt calling attention to mental issues and the outward call for participation in public events is muted by a lack of the comparative number of events in relation to other afflictions.

Contributory to the perceptions of mental illness and therefore the mentally ill is, of course, media and entertainment. The portrayal of mental illness runs the gamut which can lead to a subjective, albeit clinically inaccurate presentation. This condition is exacerbated when the words that are spoken, and the actions taken are by idol-like movie stars, endearing celebrities and, yes, social media influencers who exert irrational levels of yes, influence.

Like depictions of mental illness in entertainment, news programs and publications tend to misrepresent the causes, symptoms, and treatments of mental illnesses. Often, the central message conveyed is that people with mental illnesses are violent, criminal, dangerous, and should be avoided. Furthermore, when it comes to news media, only the most exciting and over sensationalized stories tend to make headlines. This influx of violent stories involving mentally ill people makes these cases 

There are claims that social media plays such a role regarding mental health that legislation has been proposed and passed around the world. Now nations such as China, North Korea, Iran, and others may have ulterior motives in controlling access to social media. However, Australia has upped its game by imposing age verification requirements to access YouTube and more. Even the United States via state and federal initiatives is enacting age verification laws, parental consent, and default privacy settings.

Although the influences on the perception, therefore the reality of mental illness, may reside on the outside it is irrefutable the most important aspect is the individual. The determination of potential mental illness begins with you and an honest self-evaluation of your life. Pre-cursors may include conditions including but not limited to:

It is important to reiterate: There is no shame at all in recognizing and accepting mental health challenges. When you’re not feeling well, you go to see your doctor or you may go to urgent care or even the emergency room. Please consider the same if you’re experiencing mental issues.

If you need help or guidance, call the three-digit number 9-8-8 for Hawai‘i CARES.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"You are not alone."}]

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<title>Hamada: Awareness and compassion needed for mental health issues</title>

People don't hesitate to get help if they catch a flu or sprain an ankle. Looking after one's mental health should be just as natural and free of shame or stigma.

Hamada: Awareness and compassion needed for mental health issues

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Tom Yamachika

Viewpoints

We wrote last week about how our Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is facing the outright cancellation of a 2026 Native Hawaiian Block Grant because of our good friends in the federal government.

DHHL proposes to make up for it by hiking our Transient Accommodations Tax. Again. We just hoisted it as a result of our Governor’s “Green Fee” plan, the argument goes, so why not add another one point to the tax rate for tourists (them, not us) to advance the noble cause of the Native Hawaiians?

The TAT is one of our most abused taxes. It is filled with earmarks, like aphids on a flowering plant, that divert money from the tax even before it gets to our budgeting process.

 takes $1.5 million a year for Turtle Bay debt service, $11 million for the Hawai‘i Convention Center, up to $5 million for the tourism emergency special fund, and another $3 million for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  (The Green Fee bill, 

, directs the Administration to request further funding for Green Fee projects through the regular budget process.) In HRS 

 there is a further diversion of one percentage point of the tax to pay for Honolulu rail and comparable projects on the Neighbor Islands.

In previous years, another $150 million or so was skimmed off the top for distribution to the counties. After the counties and the State squabbled for years about whether the counties would get a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the TAT revenues, our lawmakers ended the dispute during the pandemic by shutting off the spigot entirely, followed up with legislation authorizing the counties to add up to 3 percentage points to the TAT and keep that amount for themselves.

The aphids on the TATmas tree show a number of problems that lawmakers need to address.

First, let’s get rid of the earmarks. Pull the aphids off the tree. Revenues from this tax, like other taxes, should go into the general fund for lawmakers to divvy up using the normal budget process. No department or program should be in a “holier than thou” position by which it gets off-budget tax money automatically without annually justifying it to our elected representatives. There should be no such thing as a “dedicated source of funding.”  The same goes for the “barrel tax” on imported fossil fuels, which also has been a favorite target of lawmakers to load down with earmarks.

Second, we need to worry about the overall level of taxation. We can’t simply keep going back to the tax well over and over again and not expect consequences. If we keep beating up the resort industry, they will pass on the increased costs and we will see tourism numbers go down. (Maybe that’s what some people want.) If we keep beating up the general population with higher taxes like income tax and the GET, people and perhaps businesses will buy one-way tickets out of here.  This, by the way, should not be news to anyone because it has been happening for the last several years.

Third, we need to worry about whether we are efficiently using the money that we do have and are using resources that the federal government has made available to us.  To make inroads on this goal, we need greater transparency to address the waste and bloat in the government that we do have, to make sure we are aware of resources that are available to us, and to use those resources unless we have good reasons not to.

 “Oh, the federal rules are too hard to understand” doesn’t count as an excuse. It couldn’t be tougher than the tax rules, in the TAT and otherwise, that we are making ever more complicated.

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<title>Community Voices: The TATmas Tree</title>

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is the latest state entity looking for dedicated funding via yet another increase to the Transient Accommodations Tax — but there are problems with both raising this tax repeatedly, and using it for automatic spending that never goes through the normal budgeting process. Here are some solutions.

Community Voices: The TATmas Tree

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Want to plan your weekend? Aloha State Daily did some research, so you don’t have to. From live music to markets featuring local businesses, here are a few of the events happening on Oʻahu this weekend:

 Enjoy an evening of contemporary dance, art and music from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Capitol Modern. 

 will take over the galleries, courtyard garden and lobby with live performances. The group is celebrating 35 years of performances in the community. All ages are welcome. Free. Registration is recommended. 

The business accelerator Mana Up recently announced its 

 of companies. Mana Up will hold its in-person 

 market on Nov. 6 at Bloomingdale’s in Ala Moana Center

. To go with the showcase, Cohort 10 and alumni brands released limited-edition products and exclusive discounts on 

Enjoy island and reggae music at One Love, a music festival at the Wai Kai Event Lawn on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. The featured headliner is K’Nova. Other entertainers include Spawnbreezie, Sons of Zion, Ooklah the Moc, Three Plus and more. 

This three-day marketplace from Hawaiʻi’s Finest features local fashion, art, food, crafts and lifestyle brands. General admission is $6. VIP tickets are $70 and come with additional access hours and exclusive sales, among other perks. Keiki who are four years old or younger enter for free. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, NOV. 8"}]

Hawai’i’s Nisei soldiers of World War II

. Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, many Selective Service boards 

rejected Americans of Japanese ancestry from military service

. “Defining Courage” tells the story of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Service and the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, segregated Japanese American units which included many soldiers born and raised in Hawai’i. There will be shows Nov. 8 and 9 at President William McKinley High School on O’ahu and Nov. 10 at H.P. Baldwin High School on Maui. 

 will head back to the water for the first time in more than a decade at sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Ke’ehi Lagoon Beach Park. 

The event starts at 6 a.m. with a ceremony 

 and its return to the water. At 7 a.m. there will be a paddle out. From 8 a.m. until noon there will be talk story and oral history sessions with master canoe carvers and koa canoe stewards. This event is free and open to the public. Get more information and 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, NOV. 9"}]

 HI93 FM Hawaiʻi’s Local Hits is hosting its 

. Aloha State Daily is the media sponsor for this event. The fourth round of competition takes place at 7 p.m. at 

Moani Waikīkī. The featured bands are Cajun Peaches, The Issentials and Take One. The comedians are Mutiyaa Vision, Andrew Joyce and Jack Schwab. Stop by the judges table to pick up a free Aloha State Daily sticker. 

 Enjoy free music and activities from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. at ‘Iolani Palace with featured entertainment from Hālau Unuhiʻa, Waipuna, and Kamahaʻo Haumea-Thronas. There will also be a workshop on how to make kupe’e. Sign ups for activities start at 8:30 a.m. at the Kīnaʻu Gate on Richards Street

.  A valid Hawai’i driver’s license or proof of residency is required for each ticket. Self-led audio tours are available to the first 500 guests. 

 The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will play San Diego State university at 6 p.m. at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. The game is sold out, but it will be 

 to Spectrum and Hawaiian Telcom customers. Tailgating starts at 2 p.m., and fans are invited to join the Warrior Walk at 3:15 p.m. when the football team walks through the tailgate area. The pregame concert from Hawaiʻi’s Finest starts at 4:30 p.m. and features 

Tehani

<title>A Night at the Museum, battle of the bands, and more: Friday, Nov. 7- Sunday, Nov. 9</title>

Looking for fun weekend plans? Watch Prince Kūhiōʻs 40-foot racing canoe return to the water after a decade on land or check out Capitol Modern’s First Friday event, where dancers from Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre bring the museum's galleries, courtyard and lobby to life. It is also a Kamaʻāina Sunday for ʻIolani Palace, which means free entry for Hawaiʻi residents.  

A Night at the Museum, battle of the bands, and more: Friday, Nov. 7- Sunday, Nov. 9

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

i-based organizations are pitching in to assist local families affected by the temporary suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits this month, as part of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Further guidance and food information from the state Department of Human Services can be found 

As a department, our responsibility is to ensure every eligible household remains supported, informed and treated with dignity,” said DHS Director Ryan Yamane in a statement. “Our teams are working quickly to provide timely information, answer questions and coordinate local community food resources. We will be ready to resume issuances as soon as the federal government allows.”

$42.2 million via The Hawai‘i Food Assistance Program

 would be released around Nov. 14 for those missing SNAP benefits.

In the interim, local businesses and nonprofits are stepping up to fill gaps in funding, food and service. Here is a roundup of resources:

 announced its commitment of $6.1 million in emergency relief funding “for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries” who may experience food insecurity, and loss of utilities and/or stable housing. OHA expects to begin distributing funds by Nov. 7, 

According to the organization, more than 47,000 Native Hawaiians receive SNAP benefits in amounts of about $409 per person and $757 per household.

i is home to approximately 24,600 civilian federal employees. While the precise number of Native Hawaiians within that workforce is not known, estimates place it at just under five thousand,” OHA said in a Oct. 27 announcement.

“These are unsettling times, and our beneficiaries are feeling it most,” said OHA Board of Trustees Chairperson Kaiali

i Kahele at the time. “Families are missing paychecks, losing benefits, and facing impossible choices about how to feed their 

ohana. OHA will not wait on the sidelines — we are taking immediate action to help our people through this crisis.”

Hawaiʻi Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations

” document, found on its website, which is complete with national directives and local insights.

On Sept. 30, Hawai’i Community Foundation reactivated its 

 “to support nonprofits whose funding has been cut, frozen, or reduced." See past reporting about the fund from Aloha State Daily 

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of resources. Know of other organizations pivoting to meet the current needs of the community? Email 

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<title>OHA, nonprofits step up to help local families</title>

As Hawaiʻi families that rely on SNAP benefits wait on funding allocated from the state, nonprofits are filling the gap. Here is a roundup of resources from interest-free payment plans at HECO to housing support and food distribution sites cropping up this week.

Hawai'i Skies: Blocked by a ridge

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Hawai'i Skies: Blocked by a ridge

Authors

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