ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Dog discusses what he does for a living..."}]

Smile 26 1 11

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, January 11, 2026</title>

Dog discusses what he does for a living...

Daily Smile: Sunday, January 11, 2026

 Dog discusses what he does for a living...

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

What’s the best sandwich shop in Hawai‘i?

That, of course, depends on who you ask, but the newest 50 Best list from Only in Your State — devoted to the 

According to Only in Your State, Sprout “focuses on fresh, vibrant sandwiches that feel lighter but never boring. Known for creative veggie-forward options alongside meatier builds, the shop emphasizes texture, crunch and bold sauces.”

A number of factors were evaluated when selecting the list, including accessibility, inclusivity, affordability, hours, overall value and more.

The locally owned shop at 1154 Koko Head Ave. has been serving up “fresh, handcrafted sandwiches” using locally sourced ingredients since 2014, 

“With more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, co-owners and longtime friends Stephanie Leonard and Steven Ashcraft created Sprout with a clear mission: to build a neighborhood sandwich shop that supports a variety of dietary needs while serving delicious food the whole family can enjoy,” its website notes.

 is a “local travel and discovery resource” that highlights “off-the-beaten-path attractions and unique natural wonders” of each state. 

 is a monthly series that spotlights the best dishes, restaurants and food traditions across the U.S.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

I Stock kaimuki 020626

<title>Kaimukī sandwich shop named best in Hawai‘i on new 50 Best list</title>

The newest 50 Best list from Only in Your State — devoted to the 50 Best Sandwich Shops Across the U.S. — has declared its winner.

Kaimukī sandwich shop named best in Hawai‘i on new 50 Best list

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi, a Honolulu-based floral designer and founder of 

, made an international debut last month representing Hawaiʻi at the 

world’s largest trade fair for horticulture

. The invitation stemmed from connection.

 of Canada met master florist and teacher 

 of Germany at a conference in Palm Springs last summer. He had seen their presentation of “Spirit of Aloha” – a display of creative flower arrangements that includes cultural storytelling – and wanted to bring it to 

the International Plant Fair (IPM) 2026 in Essen, Germany

first North American designers to present on IPM’s stage,” 

Tabbal-Yamaguchi told Aloha State Daily. “A lot of people come to the event. I didn’t get to see everything. But imagine the [Hawaiʻi] Convention Center times five or six.”

The annual horticulture trade show attracts more than 1,500 exhibitors and 40,000 guests from 45 countries.

Tabbal-Yamaguchi and her small team had less than six months to prepare, tasked with building a larger-than-life lei stand, wedding arch and more, while showcasing hula dancing.

[{"type":"text","text":"What would she do differently? “Bring more flowers.”"}]

“Between the two of us (Quan), we had seven pieces of luggage, and we used everything that we brought,” she continued. That didn’t include the full group, just shy of 10, and their luggage.

Flowers were sourced from Hawai’i and Ecuador, 

Tabbal-Yamaguchi noted, adding that orchids were especially popular among audiences.

She described the message of the program as “sharing the aloha spirit through flowers,” as well as personal stories.

Breann Brewer and Princess Sumibcay danced hula, and lei-making and giving them away was another hit.

’d know more of it. They loved the hula dancers; they’re so beautiful at it,” Tabbal-Yamaguchi said, noting that giving lei was "memorable."

When asked what surprised her most about the experience

she said how amazed she was to see master designers learning their "simple techniques," or seeing a lei needle for the first time. “We do have intricate styles, too, we just take for granted.”

Sponsors locally and across the globe made it all come together, she added.

What’s next? For SU‑V Expressions, it’s getting ready for Valentine’s Day and weddings.

Personally, Tabbal-Yamaguchi is looking forward to teaching engagements and getting together with other floral designers across the Islands.

A longtime resident of ‘Āina Haina, she holds two certifications: American Institute of Floral Designers and European Master Certification.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Sue Tabbal Yamaguchi IPM Essen 2026 Germany 01

<title>Local floral designer presents the ‘Spirit of Aloha’ on global stage</title>

Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi, who owns Kakaʻako-based business SU‑V Expressions, set out to share "the aloha spirit through flowers" at IPM Essen 2026, the world’s largest trade fair for horticulture in Germany.

Local floral designer presents the ‘Spirit of Aloha’ on global stage

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Out for an evening drive, a young couple becomes stranded when their car breaks down on a long, isolated road. Enveloped by darkness, the car won’t start, and the man takes on the role of hero, saying he will walk back to the last house they passed to ask for help.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Stay in the car,” he tells his girlfriend, “No matter what.”"}]

The woman waits in the safety of the car, but after a while, she begins to hear a slow tapping on the roof. She waits and waits. Finally, she grows tired and falls asleep, but is startled by a policeman knocking on the window. It’s daybreak, and the officer instructs the woman to get out of the car.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Don’t look back,” he says as he guides her to his patrol car."}]

She looks back anyway and sees her boyfriend hanging upside down from the tree above their car. The tapping sound was his blood, slowly dripping onto the roof. 

This is the urban legend that most of us have heard growing up. No one really knows exactly where the story originated, but no matter where you’re from, you’ve probably heard some version of this story. On O‘ahu, we associate this story with the infamous Morgan’s Corner.

Another urban legend is about a young woman who, distraught over her boyfriend leaving her, chooses a tree at Morgan’s Corner from which to hang herself. She hung so long that her head separated from her body. People say that her headless body roams the area, and if you look up into the tree, she will be there waiting to grab you.

Sometimes legends start with a bit of fact, and over time, the stories morph into something scarier or spookier. While we can say for sure that neither of these actually happened at Morgan’s Corner, there are several events that may be the cause of alleged hauntings in that area.

While the urban legends are just that, there was an actual murder nearby. In 1938, two prisoners escaped from a work line on Smith Street, near Beretania, and caught a city bus to Nu‘uanu Valley. After hiding out overnight, they came upon the Wilder Estate. They broke in through a small dressing room window, gaining access to the Wilder home where 68-year-old widow Therese Wilder was just sitting down to dinner. Mrs. Wilder heard the noise and went to investigate.

When she discovered the men in her home, she tried to escape, calling out in an attempt to frighten the intruders. One man grabbed her, and the other struck her in the eye. Mrs. Wilder was quickly overpowered and was bound and blindfolded. When she began to regain consciousness, she struggled and was beaten until she passed out. She was gagged with the towel that was initially used as her blindfold. The escaped convicts took some food and left. Mrs. Wilder wasn’t found until five days later. Her official cause of death was suffocation. Her jaw was broken, and the gag further impeded her breathing.

But death and destruction in this valley go back even further. In 1795, Kamehameha’s quest to conquer O‘ahu brought the decisive battle between his army of 12,000 warriors against Kalanikupule’s 9,000 O‘ahu and Maui warriors to Nu‘uanu Valley. From Pūowaina to La‘imi, to Pū‘iwa, to the 500-foot cliffs of the Nu‘uanu Pali, the armies clashed, leaving death in their wake. The battle raged right through the area that is now Old Pali Road and Nu‘uanu Pali Drive as the warriors fought for control of the island. Some people think the spirits of warriors continue to linger due to the many deaths that occurred in and around this area.

[{"type":"text","text":"But where exactly is Morgan’s Corner, and how did it get its name?"}]

The actual “corner” on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive was located at the spillway under the bridge at Judd Trail. Before the roadway was adjusted, the turn was nearly 90 degrees.

As early as February 1938, Honolulu newspapers were drawing attention to the dangerous curves on the Nu‘uanu side of Pali Road. Letters to the editor described a narrow, slippery road with almost no straight stretches of visibility, which was considered unsuitable and unsafe.

That same year, the Department of Public Works began promoting plans for a future Nu‘uanu Pali tunnel route that would eliminate some of the most dangerous bends. But public opposition and lack of interest delayed major improvements for years. In the meantime, the winding section of Nu‘uanu Pali Drive, including its almost-ninety-degree turn, continued to earn a deadly reputation.

The press began calling the turn the Morgan S Curve, after Dr. James A. Morgan, whose estate bordered the hazardous roadway. Over the next decade, newspapers used several variations. In 1941, printed articles referred to the stretch of road as the Morgan Estate curve, the Morgan residence curve, and Morgan’s corner. Other journalists called it Nu‘uanu’s death curve, the death trap, and Morgan death curve.

[{"type":"text","text":"By 1953, the name “Morgan’s Corner” stuck."}]

Between 1949 and 1957, nearly 200 crashes occurred along this stretch, including multiple deaths at Morgan’s Corner itself. For decades, officials talked about correcting the dangerous roadway, but there was always another reason to postpone construction. Even after a major legal dispute was settled in 1956, collisions persisted. One official bitterly joked that the place should be called “Morgan’s Coroner.”

Ultimately, reconstruction helped, but the danger was not fully eliminated until the opening of the new Pali Highway in 1958, which finally bypassed Nu‘uanu Pali Drive and Morgan’s Corner altogether.

Many believe that places are haunted by the spirits of people who died there. If this is true, then there are several reasons for this stretch of road to be haunted.

A friend once called me about something strange that happened near the hairpin turn on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive. He parked on the grassy shoulder in front of the gated community because he spotted a thick patch of dark laua‘e ferns, which were perfect for a fragrant lei po‘o. He began properly by offering an ‘oli before he started gathering, as his elders taught him. When he finished, he gave thanks to the forest and started back across the road.

On his way back to his car, neither he nor the approaching vehicle saw each other until the last second. He froze just in time as an old car swept past him. It was an old 1930s Packard sedan, black, new-looking, like something from territorial-era Hawai‘i. The driver, a white man in a coat and tie with horn-rimmed glasses, glared at him with sharp irritation.

The Packard pulled over near the small waterfall. My friend hurried to his own car, dropped the bag of ferns onto the seat, then angrily walked toward the sedan. But with every step closer, the vehicle began to fade until it completely vanished.

Shaken, he returned to his car, and that’s when he noticed the strangest detail. The bag was no longer filled with the thick, fragrant laua‘e leaves that he thought he picked. It was packed with light, lacy pala‘ā ferns instead.

“That corner,” I told him quietly, “is Morgan’s Corner. A residual ghost, maybe?”

[{"type":"text","text":"His face filled with fear, “Should I take the pala‘ā back?”"}]

“Make a lei from it first,” I suggested, “Then go back and make an offering of apologies. I’ll go with you.”

A few days later, we returned to offer apologies. Rain hammered my windshield the entire drive, but the moment we reached the spot where my friend parked earlier, it stopped completely. It seemed everything grew quiet, the rain, the traffic. I’ve never heard my friend chant so beautifully as he did that day.

Note: Many people believe that Morgan’s Corner lay on the Kane‘ohe side of the Nu‘uanu Pali on a narrow lane called Kiona‘ole Road, although the area has nothing to do with Dr. Morgan or anyone else with the name. The misnomer is possibly due to the simple directions given to thrill-seekers and ghost hunters as being “a twisting road with hairpin turns just before the Pali lookout.” These days, it is often referred to as the “Second Morgan’s Corner.”

Morgans Corner Nuuanu

<title>Residual spirits at Morgan’s Corner</title>

Arguably the most famous haunted place on O‘ahu is Morgan's Corner in Nu‘uanu. Do you know the real story behind it? Turns out, there's more than one possible explanation for the things seen and presences felt where life and death intersect on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive.

Residual spirits at Morgan’s Corner

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Deb Seibert at Bellows Beach. "Starting the day with my daughter. The weather was cloudy and windy, but we decided to go for a swim regardless of the weather. We were rewarded with this memorable sunrise."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

Deb Seibert Bellows

<title>Hawai‘i Skies: Starting the day with my daughter</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Deb Seibert at Bellows Beach.

Hawai‘i Skies: Starting the day with my daughter

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

A funeral is what pulls the family together in the first scene where we see Nani, played by the New Zealand-Samoan actress Frankie Adams, as she hugs her long lost cousin, Jonny Hale, played by 

The moment is one of many in “The Wrecking Crew,” a movie filmed partly in Hawai’i that is set to stream globally on Amazon Prime Video at 

. The fast-paced action comedy features the estranged brothers, Jonny (Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista), who reunite when their father dies. In trying to figure out what happened, the brothers discover a conspiracy that can tear their family apart.

“The Wrecking Crew,” is based in Hawai’i but shot mostly in New Zealand. Filming included 12 days in Hawaiʻi and 43 days in New Zealand, Angela Laprete, the Hawaiʻi producer for “The Wrecking Crew," told Aloha State Daily earlier this month. She is part of the newly formed Hawai’i Film Alliance, which launched in July and is 

 that could bring more movies and televisions shows to Hawai’i.

When asked what sets the movie apart from other action films, Adams shared location was part of the charm.

“I think the fact that it's based in Hawai’i, and it's not a touristy glimpse of the island, which I think is really important,” she said. “You see real people. You see real family dynamics, and you get to see a bit of the underground world there, which I think is unique to anything else that anyone's seen.”

Adams plays the strong and sassy cousin of the brothers.

“She is the younger cousin of Jonny and James, and she's just there to call them on their crap,” Adams said. “Nothing gets past her. And she's very honest. Very sassy and smart. All the things that I love in women, personally.”

Adams remembers her first meeting with Momoa.

“Gosh, he's so full of energy,” she said. “He's so fun. He came bounding in the room, came straight up to me and was like: ‘Hi, I’m Jason. You're playing Nani. I love the character.’ We got straight into it. It was so fun. He had his guitar on set.”

Temuera Morrison (“Chief of War,” “Moana 2,” “Aquaman,” “Star Wars,” “Once Were Warriors,” etc.) also had a guitar, she said.

“In between takes, we'd be listening to music and singing, and they'd be playing the instruments,” she said. “I love music. I think it really brought the energy up on set.”

While filming in Hawai’i, Adams also enjoyed the ABC Stores.

“I love that you can get anything — anything you want is in that store,” she said. “It's magic. And I wish it existed everywhere.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Adams also got poke at Foodland."}]

“I actually, perhaps overdid it,” she said. “I think I overdosed on poke. I was eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Adams laughed."}]

She will be back on screen in another production, Disney’s live action “Moana,” which was also 

“You must take tissues because the amount you cry — from joy and pride — is quite insane,” she said. “I really hope and I feel that people are going to feel really represented when they see that and feel a sense of home.”

“The Wrecking Crew” features Jacob Batalon, Miyavi, Stephen Root and Morena Baccarin, as well as Roimata Fox. It also features actors from 

Disney’s live action version of “Lilo & Stitch” (2025), including 

, who played Lilo in that film and is a daughter of one of the main characters in this one. 

 also appears in the movie. Watch the movie on 

. It is set to release at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

"The Wrecking Crew"

<title>Actress Frankie Adams reflects on new movies</title>

She plays Nani, the "sassy and smart" cousin of Jonny Hale (Jason Momoa) and James Hale (Dave Bautista) in "The Wrecking Crew." In this exclusive interview with Aloha State Daily, the actress shares her favorite places to decompress after shooting scenes in Hawai’i. Catch her also in Disney’s live action “Moana.”

Actress Frankie Adams reflects on new movies

Cedric Duarte Cropped

Cedric Duarte

Viewpoints

[{"type":"text","text":"For decades, Native Hawaiians have debated geothermal energy."}]

Can it be a solution to the high cost of electricity in Hawaiʻi and reduce our dependence on imported oil? Or is it tantamount to cultural and spiritual sacrilege and an affront to those ʻohana who trace their lineage to Pele?

Is it even possible for Hawaiʻi to achieve energy sovereignty without corrupting what is sacred?

For many Kānaka Maoli, geothermal development intrudes on sacred spaces and poses an existential threat to both cultural identity and environmental safety.

Opponents also express concerns that in the discussions around geothermal energy development, little regard is given to the familial relationship that some Native Hawaiians have to Pele, asserting that their religious beliefs are being dismissed.

Community organizer, advocate and small business owner Terri Napeahi has long maintained that geothermal energy production is a desecration. “A true Kanaka that honors Tūtū Pele, does not drill her for money.”

Other Native Hawaiians see it differently. To them, geothermal energy is a resource of liberation; an opportunity to lower energy costs, reduce the state’s reliance on imported oil, and achieve a form of self-determination.

“We would do well to harness her powerful energy to provide relief to the long-suffering residents of this island who have endured some of the highest energy costs for domestic and business use,” said attorney and activist Mililani Trask. “There is a way to tap into geothermal that will lower costs for electricity for home use and support the development of small businesses.”

The clash of perspectives is not new. Since the 1970s the very notion of geothermal development has engendered controversy.

[{"type":"text","text":"Seeking energy alternatives"}]

Embedded in state law HRS §269-92 and driving energy policy decisions in Hawaiʻi, is the goal of 100% clean energy production by the year 2045.

A 2025 Executive Order by Gov. Josh Green that mandates electric utilities on the neighbor islands achieve a 100% renewable portfolio standard by Dec. 31, 2035, is fueling even greater urgency among policymakers and energy producers.

One of the core challenges for Hawaiʻi’s clean energy transition is reliability. Solar and wind are considered “intermittent” energy resources, meaning they only generate power depending on the weather and the time of day.

Proponents point out that, unlike solar and wind, geothermal runs day and night, and energy grid operators can ramp it up or down as needed – which is why officials say it is both “firm” and dispatchable.

In addition to fossil fuels, “firm power” includes coal plants, nuclear reactors, and massive dams. Proponents of geothermal say that it offers Hawaiʻi firm electrical power without burning fossil fuels. But is the cultural cost too high?

For Trask, an unlikely champion of geothermal development, the stakes are about climate resilience as well as economic survival. “We can all agree on the urgent need to address the environmental challenges of our time and put our planet on a path to healing after decades of over-consumption and reckless disregard for nature. We owe it to our children.”

She believes that Hawaiʻi can be a leader in embracing renewable energy without disrespecting Hawaiian cultural traditions.

[{"type":"text","text":"A history of opposition"}]

Since the state drilled its first geothermal test well on Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone in 1976, there has been pushback. Groups like the Pele Defense Fund organized, testified, and went to court, arguing that drilling desecrated this wahi kapu and disrespected Pele.

“I lived next to the only geothermal plant there is in Hawaiʻi and it was a toxic facility that harmed the community and land,” said Napeahi, a longtime critic of geothermal development. “It is not renewable energy. This idea is a marketing pitch. But, most importantly, it’s the desecration of our beliefs.”

A flashpoint came in 1985 when the State of Hawaiʻi exchanged about 27,800 acres of public trust lands at Wao Kele o Puna for some 25,800 acres of land at Kahaualeʻa with the Campbell Estate. The estate wanted to use Wao Kele o Puna – the largest remaining native lowland wet forest in Hawaiʻi – to build a geothermal power plant.

[{"type":"text","text":"This spurred mass demonstrations and landmark litigation."}]

 (1992), the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court affirmed the state’s duty to safeguard Native Hawaiian customary practices when managing public trust lands. The ruling was a major victory for Native Hawaiian rights and a key precedent for subsequent cases, continuing to shape land use decisions today. In 1994, the Campbell Estate abandoned its project.

In 2007, Wao Kele o Puna was purchased by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, in partnership with the Trust for Public land and with federal funding, protecting it in perpetuity.

 victory, the state’s first – and only – geothermal power plant, Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), came online in 1993.

PGV operates on an 815-acre parcel of private leased land. Since then, it has consistently contributed to Hawaiʻi Island’s electrical grid. According to Hawaiian Electric, in 2024, Hawaiʻi Island received 19.1% of its electricity from geothermal energy.

For many Hawaiians, encroaching on Pele’s domain without her permission and the appropriate protocol is simply unacceptable.

“Our kūpuna, who were scientists and volcanologists, depict Pele as volatile, as vengeful, reckless, and uncontrolled,” cautions retired UH Professor Dr. Davianna McGregor.

“Her volatile force [only] becomes beneficial through her sisters. Life is brought back to the forest once lava is cooled and the forest regrows. Going into the earth to get geothermal energy disrupts that natural cycle; it filters out the dangerous nature of this entity, of this natural life force.”

This was borne out when the 2018 Kīlauea eruption shut down the PGV plant after lava isolated the facility. It has since restarted operations and is in the process of upgrading its facility with new and more efficient equipment. PGV claims these improvements will reduce its footprint from 12 energy-generating units to three and increase its power generation capacity from 38 to 46 megawatts.

“We have to be critical of the amount of money that’s being committed to technology which has proven in the past to be dangerous, unreliable, not renewable, and sacrilegious to those of us who honor Pele,” McGregor said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Recent efforts to develop geothermal energy"}]

In 2014, a Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company initiative to survey for expanded geothermal potential was met with more community opposition and litigation. In addition to ongoing cultural concerns, residents living near the existing PGV plant cited longstanding complaints about toxic hydrogen sulfide gas emissions. Ground water quality is another concern.

More recently, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has moved forward in seeking geothermal resources on Hawaiian Home Lands. DHHL stewards over 200,000 acres of trust lands and is exploring the prospects of developing geothermal resources on Hawaiian Home Lands on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and even Oʻahu. The department has sought federal and state funding to support its ongoing investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal resources.

With its kuleana to return Hawaiians to the land and to manage its resources in ways that advance the economic self-sufficiency of its beneficiaries, DHHL is emphasizing that a geothermal project on trust lands will provide benefits to its beneficiaries.

Napeahi disagrees. “There are other, cleaner alternatives. There is no gray area when money and politics compromise who we are as a Native people. It’s not an issue of Hawaiian against Hawaiian. It is the Hawaiians against the corporations.”

Bobby Camara retired a few years ago from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. He, too, is skeptical about DHHL’s plans. He said that the chemistry of lava varies in different places and it’s hard to predict what will happen when you start drilling – and there is always the potential for unintended consequences.

“There’s no magic in geothermal,” Camara commented. “It’s not like you’re going to drill a hole, make a well, and suddenly make a billion dollars to build houses for people. Don’t even think of dealing with geothermal until you get people in houses on the land.”

Waikā Consulting, a Native Hawaiian-led organization formed in 2022, has been tasked to lead Hawaiʻi’s “transition to geothermal energy development.” It has adopted the role of cultural intermediary and community partner.

Working under state contracts, Waikā Consulting has facilitated outreach efforts across Hawaiʻi Island, conducting workshops, and initiating online communication efforts to promote a “Native-to-Native” framework for geothermal development modeled after similar projects in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Former state senator Dr. Mālama Solomon supports this approach. “Energy is key to economic development,” she said. “Without affordable energy, our people cannot live comfortably and start or grow new businesses. It’s that simple.

“In all my decades of living on Hawaiʻi Island and watching geosciences research being conducted, I never saw it done with a view to embark on commercial development of geothermal energy. That’s what makes Waikā’s approach different from any other.”

Waikā asserts that its “Native-to-Native” model centers on trust-based engagement. They describe this approach to development as an overturning of the typical extractive model, where foreign investors take the lion’s share and leave the community with little in return.

“The idea is to generate benefits in terms of education, opportunity and revenue that will last for generations,” Trask said.

Waikā contends that developing geothermal energy can be an exercise in Native Hawaiian agency over Indigenous resources that the law says belong to Native Hawaiians and the public.

[{"type":"text","text":"At a crossroads"}]

Humanity is at a crossroads. As we become ever more dependent on technology and accustomed to the comforts and conveniences of modern life, our collective energy use will continue to accelerate exponentially.

Rising fossil fuel costs and the grim reality of climate change means that the push for alternative sources of energy production will remain a pressing, critical issue.

Here in Hawaiʻi, some Kānaka believe that geothermal represents a path forward to greater self-reliance, sustainability, jobs, and a measure of justice for Native Hawaiians who have long carried the burden of development in their communities without receiving any direct benefits.

Other Kānaka see geothermal as an expression of disregard for their cultural traditions, spiritual beliefs, and ancestral lineage; the continuation of an extractive economic system in which decisions are made without respect for culture, religion, or the concerns of the impacted community.

[{"type":"text","text":"For now, the path forward is uncertain."}]

This article is reprinted with permission from 

,” Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Ka Wai Ola newspaper, September 2025, Vol. 42 No. 9. Read more at 

Mauna Loa Eruption 2022 Unsplash

<title>Community Voices: Geothermal energy — solution or sacrilege?</title>

The subject of geothermal energy has long divided the Native Hawaiian community. Proponents cite energy sovereignty and decreased reliance on foreign oil. Opponents point to the genealogical, cultural and spiritual ties that many Hawaiians have to Pele.

Daily Smile: Sunday, January 11, 2026

ASD Staff

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, February 6, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Most read

Daily Smile: Sunday, January 11, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, February 6, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Most read