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Daily Smile

"Golden Retrievers are so athletic, I bet he loves to play fetch..."

Smile 26 1 13

<title>Daily Smiles: Tuesday, January 13, 2026</title>

Daily Smiles: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

 &quot;Golden Retrievers are so athletic, I bet he loves to play fetch...&quot; 

Cheryl Tsutsumi

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Columnists

Food & Dining

Singapore and Saipan. Italy and India. Korea and Colombia. Paul Logan has worked in 30-plus countries, in positions as diverse as the locations. He was an engineering officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine for a decade before, among other jobs, he managed a private investment fund, designed energy-efficient systems for companies, oversaw renovation projects for a portfolio of residential properties and made soups from scratch as the owner of a 36-seat café.

Today, Logan is having the time of his life as the “Uncle” of Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, which wholesales its sweet treats to 150 retailers on the Mainland and close to 200 statewide, including Foodland, Whole Foods and ABC stores. The company’s scrumptious sammies also delight attendees at special events such as weddings, birthday parties and corporate gatherings.

Among the 15 regular flavors are ube ice cream and sugar cookies, chai latte and snickerdoodles and North Shore coffee and dark chocolate cookies. The sandwiches come in classic (six ounce) and mini (two ounce) sizes, some featuring “go-the-extra-mile” ingredients such as real lemon zest; freshly baked apple pie and berry crisps; and caramel, fudge or banana sauces crafted in-house.

Logan’s path to Uncle’s was circuitous. He was born in Gary, Indiana, but lived there for just two weeks before his family moved to Colorado Springs for his dadʻs work. They lived there for five years, then settled in Hawaiʻi in 1961.

“Dad had a three-year contract to be principal of Trinity Lutheran School there, but they kept extending it, so he stayed for 20 years,” Logan said. “Then he was principal of Our Savior Lutheran School in ʻAiea for another 20 years until he retired in 2000.”

When he was a young boy, Logan remembers pineapple fields dominated the landscape in Wahiawā, and the town itself was small and safe. On weekends, he, his sister and two brothers would be out all day, playing with friends.

“We’d go fishing on Lake Wilson, and we built a treehouse in our neighbor’s massive mango tree that was probably an OSHA nightmare,” Logan said. “By the late 1960s, Wahiawā had grown because the Vietnam War was in full swing. Many of our classmates’ dads or moms were stationed at Schofield Barracks. Sometimes, tanks would roll up California Avenue because the Army was conducting field exercises above town. Wahiawā was the only place in Hawai‘i where that happened.”

Immediately after graduating from Leilehua High School in 1974, Logan headed to the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. During half of his sophomore year and half of his junior year, he trained on ships all around the world. Stops during his first shipboard assignment included Asia and the Philippines. His next ship went along the west coast of South America, and his third ship went through the Suez Canal to Europe.

“Not many college students have those kinds of experiences as part of their education,” Logan said. “Travel was a big part of my job after I graduated. Sometimes we were in and out of a port so fast, we really didn’t get to see it, but one time we were supposed to pick up oil in Corinth, and there was a strike at the refinery. Because we were there for three weeks, waiting for it to end, we were able to see amazing places all over Greece, including the Acropolis. Can you imagine me, a naïve 20-year-old from Wahiawā, being in Athens?”

Barbara, Logan’s wife of 40 years, has shared all his post-Merchant Marine ventures and adventures. Among them: surviving a super typhoon in Saipan with their two-month-old son; going weeks in the winter without seeing the sun in Victoria, British Columbia, where their daughter was born; and renovating a 200-year-old chateau near Verviers, Belgium, from which they could hop on a train and be in

 Aachen, Germany, or Maastricht, the Netherlands, in 30 minutes.

In 2011, the family returned to Hawai‘i so Logan could help care for his dad, whose health was declining. Wanting to keep busy during his spare time, Logan joined his older brother’s lettuce business.

“I built a hydroponic farm in Hale‘iwa and took over the growing, harvesting and cleaning of eight kinds of lettuce,” he said. “My brother distributed it to restaurants on the North Shore, and Barbara and I sold the extra at the farmers market in Waimea Valley.”

In addition to produce and crafts, vendors at the market were selling an array of ‘ono food, but no one was offering desserts. The couple thought ice cream sandwiches could fill the void: People could hold a sandwich with one hand while they carried their shopping bag with the other. Thus, Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches was born in 2013. Initially, there were six flavors, among them liliko‘i, which Logan was growing at his farm.

“The first week, we brought 20 sandwiches and sold out,” he said. “The next week, we brought 30, and they also sold out. People were taking selfies with our sandwiches. Then businesses started asking if we could wholesale them.”

Within a year, the ice cream business was bringing in more money than the lettuce. Realizing they couldn’t do both, the Logans decided to sell the farm and focus on Uncle’s.

Barbara manages the finances, and Logan oversees production and creates the flavors. “Every weekend, I’m in our commercial kitchen in Waialua, testing recipes,” he said. “I’m always looking for new ideas. When we’re on vacation, I go to every ice cream shop in the area to see what they’re doing.”

In 2023, the Logans opened a factory in Las Vegas, which handles customers on the Mainland. Two years later, they introduced 

Hanabi (“fireworks” in Japanese) Burnt Cheesecake

, which has a caramelized exterior and comes in five regular flavors: ube, guava, cookie butter, blood orange and classic (the original, infused with vanilla). Logan is currently developing a healthier line of ice cream that’s low fat, high protein, probiotic and prebiotic with no added sugar.

“I’ve had an unconventional, very interesting life,” he said. “Everything has not gone perfectly, but I’ve been truly blessed. A big freezer at our home is filled with ice cream, some of it experiments. Everyone who comes for dinner knows what they’re going to get for dessert!”

National Ice Cream Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday in July (this year, it’s July 19). A list of stores that sell Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches is at 

. Find fans’ innovative flavor ideas and post your own at 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Barbara and Paul with boxes

<title>Uncles and Aunties: The Logan ʻohana serve up sweet treats</title>

Paul Logan, who grew up in Wahiawā, is having the time of his life as the “Uncle” of Uncle’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, which wholesales its sweet treats to 150 retailers on the Mainland and close to 200 statewide, including Foodland, Whole Foods and ABC stores. His wife, Barbara, helps manage the finances for the business and enjoys sharing about his post-Merchant Marine ventures such as surviving a super typhoon in Saipan with their two-month-old son, renovating a 200-year-old chateau near Verviers, Belgium, and more.

Uncles and Aunties: The Logan ʻohana serve up sweet treats

Now, let's all enjoy passengers' reactions to Uber driver who brought dog along for ride...

Smile 26 6 9

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 9, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Yamachika Tom IMG 1913 Large

Tom Yamachika

Viewpoints

Government & Politics

Back in 2020, an Arizona State swimmer named Grant House sued the NCAA in a landmark class action case alleging that the NCAA’s rules forbidding compensation for college athletes were illegal under antitrust laws. The settlement of that lawsuit in 2025 cleared the way for college athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (referred to as NIL).

Of course, we in Hawaiʻi need to be competitive nationally, so we need to pay some of our student athletes for their NIL. Or so our University of Hawaiʻi has been arguing. And, 

, our university has already committed to some $5 million in NIL payouts.

University officials began their journey navigating the twists and turns of the "NIL"e environment by coming to our Legislature this past session with hat in hand, seeking $5 million.

A request for a budget line item to this effect made it into the House version of the budget, but it was swatted down in the Senate. A separate House bill, 

, made it all the way through the House but had a chilly reception, and no hearing, in the Senate. And a compromise bill, 

, tried to set up an endowment fund the income from which could be used for NIL payments. It made it through a House-Senate conference committee, but university officials asked the House and Senate money chairs to scuttle the bill, contending that it would create more problems than it would solve.  A Senate floor vote then narrowly killed the bill, 11-12.

So, what is to become of NIL funding here in Hawaiʻi?

According to UH’s athletic director Matt Elliott, “We’re in the budget process right now,” he said. “Our mindset is we’ve got to find those resources to cover those expenses. … We’ll find a way.”

Which means that although the Legislature tried to sink NIL funding, UH’s ship stubbornly refuses to go down. “We can do this the easy way … or the hard way,” UH is saying.

During a hearing on another measure we were following, 

, Senate Education Committee Chair Donna Kim pointed out multiple instances of UH pulling millions of dollars out from a block of money given for repairs and maintenance, and then repurposing them for other projects that UH was interested in — but were not repairs or maintenance. One example is renovation of the Sinclair Library.

Is UH going to pull the same kind of stunt here?

about UH’s Tuition and Fees Special Fund, which had an unencumbered balance of some $430 million. 

 was a bill to raid the fund and put excess moneys back into the General Fund (and thereby ease the pressure to raise additional money from taxpayers). That bill died in this past legislative session when the House decided not to appoint conferees to work out the bill with the Senate.

At a hearing on that bill, UH President Wendy Hensel said, “I don’t want anybody to ask me for a dime when they have a dollar in their hand. And I feel the same as we come to you and ask for funding.”

Fine. UH, do what you promised. Use that money.  No pulling from the repair and maintenance fund. Use that fund to clear UH’s infamous backlog of repair and maintenance projects. And, most of all, don’t use this as an excuse to ask lawmakers for taxing power (like the DOE did when they asked for and received the authority to impose 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Related ASD content:"}]

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Matt Elliott 021126

<title>Community Voices: Navigating the 'NIL'e</title>

University of Hawaiʻi's Athletic Director Matt Elliott is determined to find a way to get millions in resources for college athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness (referred to as NIL). Although the Legislature tried to sink NIL funding, UH’s ship stubbornly refuses to go down, per the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi.

Community Voices: Navigating the 'NIL'e

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

 at Halekulani just launched its Aha ‘Aina Plantation Pāʻina, which is available every Sunday for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. The dinner buffet costs $95 per adult and $55 per child (ages 10 years and under). The buffet, which started on May 24, will be weekly until Sept. 6.

The buffet celebrates Hawaiʻi’s diverse cultures, with designated buffet stations representing each one.

“I wanted to do something to represent the plantation era and figures that made the food scene here in Hawaiʻi,” explains House Without a Key chef de cuisine Jarrin Otake. “I tried to combine a little bit of everything, something that represents each country or ethnicity. All these countries influence the food we eat today; without them, we wouldn’t have the Pacific Rim flavors.”

“[At House Without a Key], we have beautiful Hawaiian music and the education of Hawaiiana through the song and mele; now, we have the food to match,” Otake says.

Buffet guests can look forward to a carving station with slow-roasted and carved proteins, inspired by Hawaiian and plantation traditions; a Japanese station with a variety of tempura and made-to-order hand rolls; a Chinese station with Peking duck, char siu chicken and steamed pork and shrimp dumplings; and Korean station with bulgogi, kalbi and tteokbokki.

There’s also a plantation market table with Island-inspired starters — including inari, California rolls, spicy nairagi poke, ‘ahi poke with ogo, and watermelon and tomato salad with feta cheese and balsamic glaze — and fresh garden selections.

The dessert station includes a variety of unique offerings, ranging from Tahitian fruit pudding with coconut cream and coconut butter mochi to banana lumpia, malasadas and chocolate haupia tarts.

Guests can not only enjoy the island-inspired cuisine, but also live Hawaiian music and hula, which House Without a Key is known for.

Buffet guests will also have the chance to try the legendary KONG burger, available as sliders. Originally created in partnership with radio icon Kamasami Kong, this signature burger includes a beef patty topped with grilled pineapple, beanless chili and melted cheese in a soft potato bun.

The sliders are a throwback to the original KONG burger, which started in 1977 when Kong was working at KKUA. It was served by local eatery MeatBun and was given away on-air, according to Kong.

“In 1977, I was working at KKUA wand we needed a promotion to get more listeners,” Kong recalls. “I said, ‘Let’s create a promotion that’s a win-win for everybody involved. Let’s make a burger and we’ll give away free burgers on the air every night.’

“It has to have some Hawaiian essence,” Kong adds, when asked about the burger’s elements. “[I said], 'Let’s cook the burger up through a thin slice of pineapple to give it a little bit of Island sweetness. We’ll have the burger on top of that; homemade chili on top of that; and a little bit of cheese to give it a little extra flavor.' It had to be topped with a toasted bun to give it a little bit of crunch.”

Every night, Kong would call the MeatBun restaurant, and the burger giveaway would be live.

“The first five people to run up to the window and say, ‘I’m hungry!’ would get a free KONG burger,” Kong remembers. “We would hear people over his telephone, screaming and yelling, ‘I’m hungry! I’m hungry!’ It was wild; it was crazy. We gave away these KONG burgers every night from 1977 to 1980.”

The KONG burger sliders at House Without a Key’s Aha ‘Aina Plantation Pā‘ina are similar to the original burger, according to Kong.

Halekulani chef de cuisine Melissa Kaniki "did such a great job at improving the original KONG burger by adding her own little touches with the cheese and the chili; it’s her own homemade chili,” Kong says. “She got the buns toasted to perfection. It’s just a little bit different from the one we started with.”

halekulani.com/dining/house-without-a-key/

House Without a Key Kamasami Kong 060826

<title>House Without a Key launches new Sunday dinner buffet</title>

The Halekulani eatery’s Aha ‘Aina Plantation Pā‘ina is a new Sunday dinner buffet that will run until Sept. 6. It celebrates Hawaiʻi’s diverse cultures, and guests will also have the chance to try the legendary KONG burger, created in partnership with radio icon Kamasami Kong.

House Without a Key launches new Sunday dinner buffet

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

North Shore brothers Nyjah Music & Zyah Rhythm

 will take one of the biggest talent competition stages as they audition for “America’s Got Talent” in an episode that will be televised tomorrow.

The duo already has a connection to fame as 

. Nyjah Music & Zyah Rhythm will be featured in the second episode of Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent,” which airs at 2 p.m. HST on 

 on NBC. The grand prize for the competition is 

 and has millions of followers on social media.

The brothers could not be reached immediately for comment.

“Every stage is an opportunity to share our passion, learn and grow,” shared the duo on Instagram.

Currently, they have more than 250,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. In 2025, their cover of the Elvis Presley classic “Burning Love” was featured in Disney’s live action 

 Today, that song, which was produced by their pop star uncle, has more than 12 million streams on Spotify.

 include “Always on My Mind,” “The Island Girl is Mine,” and “Love Slow.”

Contestants for “America’s Got Talent” can be 

, according to the show’s audition website. The judges for this season are Howie Mandel, Melanie Brown or “Mel B,” Simon Cowell and Sofía Vergara.

, where select acts get a chance to perform a second time before judges choose which groups advance to the live shows, according to NBC’s website.

Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm recently announced new music. The duo shared on social media that their new song “Waste No Time” will be released on June 12.

Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm

<title>'America’s Got Talent' has Hawaiʻi contestants</title>

These North Shore brothers will be featured in Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent.” Tune in Tuesday, June 9, to catch their performance.

'America’s Got Talent' has Hawaiʻi contestants

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

More than 200 candidates are running for elected offices in Hawai‘i and will appear on ballots this year. See the candidates for city and county races, 

Tuesday marked the filing deadline for prospective political candidates to submit their nomination papers to run for office in the upcoming 2026 elections. The 2026 primary election will be held Saturday, Aug. 8, with the general election set for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Here are the candidates for statewide races. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Governor"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Lieutenant Governor"}]

U.S. Representative candidates, District II

State Senator District 5 (Wailuku, Kahului)

State Senator District 8 (Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau)

State Senator District 9 (Hawai‘i Kai, Diamond Head)

State Senator District 10 (Kaimukī, Kapahulu, Mō‘ili‘ili)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"• Incumbent Les Ihara Jr., Democrat "}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"• Jackson Sayama, Democrat  "}]

State Senator District 11 (Mānoa, Makiki, Punchbowl)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"• Incumbent Carol Fukunaga, Democrat "}]

State Senator District 13 (Liliha, Iwilei, Nu‘uanu)

State Senator District 14 (Moanalua, ‘Aiea, Fort Shafter)

State Senator District 15 (Kalihi, Māpunapuna)

State Senator District 17 (Mililani Town, Wahiawā)

State Senator District 19 (Pearl City, Waipahu)

State Senator District 20 (‘Ewa Beach, Ocean Pointe)

State Senator District 21 (Kalaeloa, Kapolei)

State Senator District 25 (Kailua, Waimānalo)

State Rep. District 3 (Hilo, Keaukaha, Kea‘au)

State Rep. District 4 (Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiian Beaches)

State Rep. District 5 (Kea‘au, Mountain View, Volcano, 

Pāhala, Punalu‘u, Nā‘ālehu, Hawaiian Ocean View

State Rep. District 6 (Captain Cook, Kailua-Kona)

State Rep. District 7 (Kailua-Kona, Honokōhau)

State Rep. District 8 (Hawi, Waimea, Waikōloa)

State Rep. District 12 (Pukalani, Makawao)

State Rep. District 13 ( Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Kaho‘olawe)

State Rep. District 15 (Hā‘ena, Hanalei)

State Rep. District 16 (Wailuā, Līhu‘e)

Kōloa, Po‘ipū, Kalāheo, Ele‘ele, Hanapēpē, Waimea

State Rep. District 18 (Portlock, Hawai‘i Kai)

State Rep. District 19 (‘Āina Haina, Niu Valley)

State Rep. District 20 (Leahi, Wai‘alae, Kaimukī)

State Rep. District 21 (Pālolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise)

State Rep. District 23 (Mō‘ili‘ili, McCully)

State Rep. District 25 (Ala Moana, Downtown Honolulu)

State Rep. District 26 (Makiki, Punchbowl)

State Rep. District 27 (Pacific Heights, Nu‘uanu)

State Rep. District 28 (Sand Island, Chinatown)

State Rep. District 29 (Kamehameha Heights, Kalihi Valley)

State Rep. District 30 (Kalihi, Hickam Village)

Daily Smiles: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

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Daily Smiles: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Authors

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