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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Cuong Do at Hawaiian Memorial Park. "Of all my years on the island I've never seen such a perfect double rainbow."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

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26 1 9 Cuong Do 16x9

<title>Hawai‘i Skies: Double rainbow</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Cuong Do at Hawaiian Memorial Park.

Hawai‘i Skies: Double rainbow

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Cuong Do at Hawaiian Memorial Park. "Of all my years on the island I've never seen such a perfect double rainbow." 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.

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

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Government & Politics

Arts & Entertainment

Legislative priorities for the newly formed Hawaiʻi Film Alliance include better tax incentives for companies choosing to produce movies or television shows in Hawaiʻi.

John Salanoa, an actor, director and producer and the chair of HFA’s bills committee, shared some of HFA’s priorities with Aloha State Daily on Monday.

HFA is a coalition of film professionals, production companies, labor unions, businesses, and more

that formed in July. On Saturday, Jan. 10, HFA partnered with University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu and the International Cultural Arts Network to present 

session two of its four-part Hawaiʻi Film Alliance Info Series

, where Salanoa was one of the featured speakers. The classroom-style briefing was designed to help industry professionals understand key legislation in the 2026 legislative session.

Hawaiʻi has long been a place to film movies and television shows.

“We were a destination film location,” Salanoa told ASD. “And if you look at our history, it's proven to be wonderful — from ʻLost’ to ʻJurassic Park’ to everything else in between. We were that spot. But then New Zealand and then Thailand and Australia opened up to say: ʻYou can favor us to look like Hawaiʻi, and we'll give double what they're giving you.’ And that's when we started to see the loss.” 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hawaiʻi is beautiful, he added. "}]

“We have beautiful culture here,” Salanoa said. “We have the best crew members, talent and everyone is here, but the incentives worldwide left us where we are today, which is in a very flat state. But the good thing is, this year — 2026 — we have three [large] productions that are coming in, and they're coming in because of the enthusiasm of what they're hearing. That Hawaiʻi is really going to step up and do what they can to stimulate the industry.” 

Better tax credits are HFA’s highest priorities for 2026 legislation. 

Currently, the state of Hawaiʻi provides a 22% tax credit for productions on Oʻahu and 27% tax credit for productions on Neighbor Islands.

“Now 10 years ago, those were good numbers,” he said. “Today, those are bottom-of-the-barrel numbers, and this is why we have lost productions for the last two years. We saw the decline happening approximately three years ago, coming out of Covid.”

Salanoa would like to see tax credits change to 30% for productions on Oʻahu and 35% for those on Neighbor Islands, he said.

the state allows up to $17 million per project in tax credits

, according to the State of Hawaiʻi Film Office’s website.

HFA wants to update the per-production tax credit cap, or maximum incentive given to an individual production, to $25 million. Increasing the overall cap is a long-term priority for HFA, but it is not something they are asking for this year, due to federal budget cuts to states, including Hawaiʻi, he explained.

Ideally, Hawaiʻi would have at least two television shows and up to four Blockbuster movies, as well as a number of independent films in production each year, Salanoa said. The film industry creates jobs in more than just the movie-making business, he added.

“It touches more vertical markets than any other professional or tour services that are here in Hawaiʻi nei,” Salanoa said. “The film industry, we touch every single economic driver there is.”

That includes lodging, tourism, energy, fuel, restaurants, professional services and more. Many who work in the film industry go on to support multiple generations of families, he said.

“They go into the film industry,” Salanoa said. “They're able to support multiple households. But the bigger thing is, they'll take these finances — these riches that are getting — and they'll start a new business. There are so many startup businesses that were started up in Hawaiʻi because of finances that came from the film industry.”

John Salanoa

<title>Tax credits top concern for Hawaiʻi Film Alliance</title>

John Salanoa, chair of the bills committee for HFA, shares the group’s vision for legislative priorities to support the film industry in 2026.

Tax credits top concern for Hawaiʻi Film Alliance

Daniel Farr 02

Daniel Farr

Councilwoman Yuki Lei Sugimura announced she is running for mayor of Maui County, joining incumbent Mayor Richard Bissen and other candidates in the 2026 election.

Representing Upcountry Maui communities including Pukalani, Kula and Ulupalakua, Sugimura has served on the Maui County Council since 2016. She chairs the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee and previously led the Infrastructure and Transportation Committee from 2021 to 2023. Her legislative work includes overseeing the county budget and authoring a ban on smoking in vehicles with minors present.

Sugimura told Aloha State Daily her mayoral priorities focus on transparency and accountability, infrastructure and economic resilience, emphasizing that leadership begins with listening to the community.

“I do not believe leadership starts with talking without hearing from the community — it starts with listening,” Sugimura told ASD. “Before finalizing priorities, I want to hear directly from residents about what is working, what is not, and where county government needs to change course.”

To gather input across Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, Sugimura launched 

 focused on housing, economic security and county services.

Addressing housing and infrastructure, Sugimura said the county must focus on what she calls “pipes, permits and pavement.”

“When I talk about pipes, permits and pavement, I mean the basic mechanics that determine whether housing gets built and whether families can continue to afford to live here,” she told ASD.

She said water systems, sewer networks, roads and lengthy permitting timelines directly affect housing costs.

“A key element of Maui’s housing crisis is a permitting process that can take over 300 days,” Sugimura told ASD. “Those delays translate directly into higher rents and home prices because every month of waiting adds cost.”

Sugimura outlined ways to expedite permits while maintaining environmental and cultural protections. One proposal under consideration is a “self-certification” rule that would allow a licensed architect to certify plans and allow construction to begin if a housing permit is not approved within 60 days. Early survey results show strong community support for the idea.

On Bill 9, which phases out transient vacation rentals in apartment districts, Sugimura said she opposed the measure due to potential fiscal risks.

“I opposed Bill 9 because it carried real economic risk without a certified plan to replace lost revenue,” Sugimura told ASD. “An immediate hit of more than $60 million in property tax revenue affects funding for police, firefighters and infrastructure.”

She said future policies that significantly reduce revenue should include clear plans for funding essential services.

Sugimura said housing affordability requires more than bans. Solutions include increasing housing supply where appropriate, reducing construction costs and delays, supporting incremental housing such as ‘ohana units and stabilizing household expenses. Survey responses are helping identify which pressures are most urgent across Maui Nui.

Born and raised in Wailuku, Sugimura graduated from Baldwin High School and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and has lived in Upcountry Maui for more than two decades. Before holding elected office, she ran Connec LLC, an event management and consulting business in Kula, and previously served as Wailuku Revitalization and Small-Town Coordinator under former Mayor James “Kimo” Apana.

, the 2026 election timeline includes Feb. 2 as the first day to pick up nomination papers, June 2 as the filing deadline, July 27 for voter service centers to open ahead of the Aug. 8 primary and Oct. 20 for centers to open ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

YLS Headshot 1 16x9

<title>Councilwoman Yuki Lei Sugimura announces mayoral run</title>

Councilwoman Yuki Lei Sugimura announces mayoral run

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

The latest batch of bills voted on by Hawai‘i's federal delegation includes the return of a health care tax credit, foreign-made U.S. flags and a time capsule — all in one measure.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to pass the 

, a grab-bag measure making several wildly different provisions.

Most heavily touted in the bill is its resurrection of subsidies provided through the Affordable Care Act, which had previously been terminated at the end of 2025. Congressional Democrats had been unable to retain those credits in a government budget bill, despite triggering a 43-day government shutdown over the issue.

The House on Thursday voted to add yet another provision to the bill that would renew those subsidies for another three years, which Democrats have said will prevent health care costs from rising for millions of Americans — including some 24,000 Hawai‘i residents, said Hawai‘i Rep. Ed Case.

However, the bill does several other things beyond retaining ACA subsidies. These include, but are not limited to:

• A provision that will create a time capsule to be opened on July 4, 2276, the 500th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. The contents of the capsule will include “a representative portion of all books, manuscripts … and other materials” relating to the anniversary, copies of various contemporary legislative milestones and a message from today’s Congress to the one 250 years in the future. The capsule will be buried beneath the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn by July 4 of this year.

• A provision awarding veterans money that had been incorrectly withheld from their severance payments for tax purposes since 1991. Veterans could also benefit from a pilot program described in the bill that will offer grants to local governments in order to improve participation and retention in veteran-focused treatment court programs.

• The bill imposes prohibitions against “data brokers” from selling personal data to “adversary countries” — e.g., North Korea, China, Russia and Iran — or entities controlled by said countries. Another foreign policy provision requires an assessment of China’s impact to global financial stability and potential Chinese financial threats, while yet another requires the development of a five-year strategy to assist the government of Nigeria to combat terrorist group Boko Haram.

• The bill also requires all government agencies to fly only U.S. flags made in the U.S., except for vessels in foreign waters or in cases where the U.S. President waives the requirement.

Case and Tokuda — and also all 211 other House Democrats — voted in support of the measure, along with 17 Republicans. The bill passed 230-196.

[{"type":"text","text":"Other bills passed this week include:"}]

The Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act

, a 400-page budget bill providing funding for various federal agencies.

Case touted the bill’s Hawai‘i-specific allocations, including $1 million to the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources to remove invasive corals from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, $1 million for wildfire mitigation programs at the University of Hawai‘i and $1 million for a new mobile command vehicle for the Honolulu Police Department.

[{"type":"text","text":"The bill passed 397-28, with Case and Tokuda in support."}]

The Affordable Housing Over Mandating Efficiency Standards Act, or Affordable HOMES Act

, a measure that removes energy regulations imposed by the Department of Energy upon manufactured housing developments, along with the department’s ability to impose those regulations at all. Currently, the law requires the DOE to impose standards on manufactured homes in line with the International Energy Conservation Code; the amendments proffered by the bill would only impose energy conservation standards based on cost-effectiveness.

[{"type":"text","text":"The bill passed 263-147, with Case and Tokuda voting against it."}]

The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act

, which prevents veterans’ disability payments from impacting their eligibility for federal housing assistance. This bill passed the Senate unanimously.

Repz 16x9

<title>CONGRESS WATCH: Health care subsidies, time capsules and more</title>

What else is in the ACA subsidy bill the House passed last week?

CONGRESS WATCH: Health care subsidies, time capsules and more

Davianna Mc Gregor 2

Davianna Pōmaikaʻi McGregor

Hina Keala

Kaipu Keala

Viewpoints

Hawaii History

In an act of bold defiance against U.S. military might, on Jan. 4, 1976, nine aloha ʻāina evaded a U.S. Coast Guard blockade in the ʻAlalākeiki Channel to make landfall on the ravaged island of Kahoʻolawe.

Determined to support an Aboriginal Lands of Hawaiian Ancestry (ALOHA) bill demanding U.S. reparations to Kanaka ʻŌiwi, they wanted to draw national attention to the illegal role that the U.S. played in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and protest ongoing U.S. military control and destruction of Hawaiian national lands.

George Helm, Emmett Aluli, Kimo Aluli, Kawaipuna Prejean, Walter Ritte, Ian Lind, Ellen Miles, Steve Morse, and Karla Villalba were later dubbed the “Kahoʻolawe Nine,” becoming contemporary folk heroes.

Their courage in risking not only arrest but death to stand in opposition to the desecration of Hawaiian land was the catalyst for the formation of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana (ʻOhana) and the birth of the modern Aloha ʻĀina Movement that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

After witnessing firsthand Kahoʻolawe’s ruined landscape, feeling the island’s pain, and sensing a powerful underlying spiritual force on the ʻāina, ʻOhana leaders sought guidance from kūpuna such as Kahuna Sam Lono, Aunty Emma Defries, Aunty Edith Kanakaʻole and others known to them from Molokaʻi and Hāna.

[{"type":"text","text":"A storied history and sanctification"}]

Through these kūpuna, the ʻOhana learned that, traditionally, Kahoʻolawe was honored as Kohemālamalama Kanaloa.

Named for the god Kanaloa, the island played an important role in the art of wayfinding; a wahi kapu where both navigators and kahuna were trained. The island’s westernmost point is called Kealaikahiki (the path to Tahiti), as is the channel between Kahoʻolawe and Lānaʻi. This channel was known as a “sea road” that connected Hawaiʻi to Kahiki – the ancestral homeland.

In addition to being a navigational center for voyaging, Kahoʻolawe was an agricultural center and a site for religious ceremonies. There are some 600 cultural sites and 3,000 physical features on the island, including heiau, koʻa (fishing shrines), small fishing villages along the coast, inland settlements, and an adze quarry.

The kūpuna advised the ʻOhana to negotiate with the U.S. Navy for special access to the island to conduct a spiritual ceremony.

George Helm led the negotiations and on February 13, a month after the landing of the Kahoʻolawe Nine, the kūpuna conducted a ceremony at Hakioawa, Kahoʻolawe. The purpose of the ceremony was to laʻa – sanctify and cleanse the land from the military’s abuse, to reconnect with the spirits of the land, and to ask their permission to open the way for the ʻOhana to protect the island from the military and heal her wounds – the ʻŌiwi way to ethically engage the kuleana to aloha ʻāina.

Following the sanctification ceremony, the ʻOhana began to actively organize a grassroots Aloha ʻĀina movement on each island, guided spiritually by the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Hawaiian Renaissance and a tragedy"}]

Awareness and understanding of aloha ʻāina became a core tenet of the Hawaiian Renaissance along with the resurgence in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, navigation and wayfinding, traditional art and music, and cultural pride.

As ʻŌiwi across the pae ʻāina learned the history that had been suppressed for decades, and began to reclaim their historical narrative, the Aloha ʻĀina movement thrived, gaining widespread support – support that remains strong and steadfast today.

But a year after the historic landing of the Kahoʻolawe Nine, the unthinkable happened.

In 1977, sometime between March 7 and 9, George Helm and Kimo Mitchell were lost in the ocean off Kahoʻolawe. They departed from Maui and were headed to Kahoʻolawe to bring home two ʻOhana members who were occupying the island and had become stranded. It was an act of heroism that abruptly cut short the lives of two gifted young ʻŌiwi leaders.

In the wake of this tragedy, the ʻOhana regrouped and persevered, carrying the weight of Helm’s and Mitchell’s sacrifice as they continued moving forward.

It would take another 13 years, but the ʻOhana overcame every obstacle in its path, standing up to the world’s largest and most powerful military-industrial complex. On Oct. 22, 1990, the U.S. military agreed to stop the bombing and its military use of Kahoʻolawe – an unprecedented victory for Native Hawaiians.

[{"type":"text","text":"A new strategy secures stewardship"}]

After the loss of Helm and Mitchell, occupation of Kahoʻolawe as a strategy to stop the bombing had become too costly. Instead, the ʻOhana put their efforts into a pursuing a civil suit, 

, that had been filed by Helm before his passing.

By 1980, the lawsuit had resulted in a court-mandated Consent Decree that recognized the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana as the kahuʻāina (steward) of Kahoʻolawe, marking the beginning of a 10-year period of expanded legal access to, and joint governance of, the island.

Since then, the ʻOhana has conducted monthly access to Kahoʻolawe for cultural, religious, subsistence, and educational purposes, setting a precedent for ʻŌiwi access to government and private lands for traditional and customary practices.

But for the handful of members seeking an “all or nothing” outcome, the Consent Decree was not acceptable, and they chose to part ways with the ʻOhana.

Ironically, it was their kūpuna advisors who counseled the ʻOhana’s leadership that taking the path of the Consent Decree would allow them – and eventually thousands of others – to become maʻa, more familiar and connected with the island, which would grow the support for, and commitment to, ending military use of the island.

[{"type":"text","text":"The kūpuna were right."}]

In 1993, three years after the bombing was stopped, the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) was established to assume management of the island, working to restore it as a cultural and natural reserve in cooperation with the ʻOhana under a stewardship agreement known as the Palapala ʻAelike Kahuʻāina.

The ʻOhana’s continued advocacy, legitimized by the Consent Decree and their status as kahuʻāina for the island, ultimately resulted in the return of Kahoʻolawe to the State of Hawaiʻi by the U.S. military in a formal transfer ceremony at Palauea, Maui, on May 7, 1994.

Under Hawaiʻi state law, Kahoʻolawe is now held in trust for a future “sovereign Native Hawaiian entity.” The historic return of Kahoʻolawe set a precedent for the return of other federally controlled lands to the State of Hawaiʻi in accordance with the 1959 Admission Act.

But more substantially, it made Kahoʻolawe the first Hawaiian land to be held in trust for sovereign Hawaiian governance since the 1893 overthrow.

[{"type":"text","text":"Celebrating 50 years of aloha ʻāina"}]

“Laʻa, Maʻa, Paʻa; Sanctify, Sustain, Solidify,” is an ʻōlelo noʻeau from Aunty Alice Kuloloio of Maui that has been adopted as the ʻOhana’s 50th Anniversary slogan.

It provides a guiding vision for the aloha ʻāina work of the ʻOhana, teaching us that to engage in our kuleana we must first sanctify, make “laʻa” – both ourselves and that to which we are committing – as was done with the first ceremony in February 1976.

Only then can we become familiar, “maʻa” and able to expand and sustain our aloha ʻāina work through direct hands-on experiences involving kilo (observation), clearing the land, restoring the natural landscape, and monitoring and stabilizing cultural sites while engaging in ʻaha (ceremonies) that deepen our connection to the land. This characterized the period from the 1980 Consent Decree through the ordnance clean up (1994-2004).

The ʻOhana showed the world that it is possible to hold the U.S. military accountable to clean up ʻāina ravaged by decades of military training. Under Title X, Congress appropriated $400 million to remove ordnance from Kahoʻolawe.

The military cleared 9% of the island to a depth of 4 feet and an additional 68% of the island’s surface – although none of the surrounding waters were cleared. Some $44 million (of the $400 million) was given directly to KIRC to begin its restoration of the island.

The final step is to solidify and make “paʻa” our pilina (relationships), respect, and reverence for our ancestral ʻāina as the aliʻi to which we are merely kauwā (servants).

The ceremonies conducted on the island and the I Ola Kanaloa! I Ola Kākou! Strategic Plan have now been elevated. Kahoʻolawe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized within Hawaiʻi, the U.S., and internationally, as a sacred place where Kānaka ʻŌiwi practices are mastered and uplifted.

For the past 50 years, the ʻOhana has been steadfast in its aloha kūpaʻa i ka ʻāina ʻo Kohemālamalama, making great strides built upon the sacrifices and commitment of the kūpuna who believed in its mission of aloha ʻāina.

Throughout 2026, the ʻOhana’s 50th anniversary will be a time of celebration and activation for all who live in Hawaiʻi to recommit and rededicate themselves to aloha ʻāina, to ea (sovereignty) and to the protection of Hawaiian lands from the devastation of military training.

Aloha ʻĀina Inspired Music

The Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana is producing a musical album to commemorate half a century of Aloha ʻĀina. It honors five decades of the movement sparked by the historic landing on the island in January 1976. Created through aloha ʻāina music camps and writing sessions, the project features artists such as Keahi Piʻiʻōhiʻa, Pōkiʻi Seto, Moku Young, Kaʻikena Scanlan, Kimié Miner, Ikaakamai, Kekuhi Kanahele and Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole. The first single, a reinvigorated Mele o Kahoʻolawe, (written by Harry Kunihi Mitchell, father of Kimo Mitchell) debuts on Jan. 2, with the full album release planned for fall 2026. The project aims to reconnect Kānaka and the global community to Kahoʻolawe and support future programs that cultivate aloha ʻāina.

This article is reprinted with permission from 

La‘a, Ma‘a, Pa‘a: Sanctify, Sustain, Solidify

" by Kaipu Keala, Hina Keala, and Davianna Pōmaikaʻi McGregor, in its

 January 2026 issue, Vol. 43 No. 1. Read more at 

Kahoolawe 11

<title>Community Voices: The Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana celebrates 50 years of aloha ʻāina</title>

“Laʻa, Maʻa, Paʻa; Sanctify, Sustain, Solidify,” is an ʻōlelo noʻeau from Aunty Alice Kuloloio of Maui that has been adopted as the ʻOhana’s 50th Anniversary slogan. It provides vision for their aloha ʻāina work.

Community Voices: The Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana celebrates 50 years of aloha ʻāina

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

new movie starring actors Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista

 that will start streaming on Prime Video on Jan. 28 — Zippy’s is debuting a new menu item for a limited time.

 is available starting today, Jan. 12, at all Zippy’s locations in Hawai

i and Southern Nevada until Sunday, March 1. The Wrecking Crew Pac ($15.95 in Honolulu at takeout; prices vary by location) features a combination of Zippy’s signature items and customer favorites.

The new menu item includes three scoops of rice with furikake, two scoops of Zippy’s OG chili, one scoop of mac salad, one piece of fried chicken, four pieces of Portuguese sausage and one piece of hoki fish.

Select scenes from “The Wrecking Crew” were filmed at Zippy’s ʻEwa store in 2024. Zippy’s fans are encouraged to try the new menu item and watch “The Wrecking Crew."

Zippys Wrecking Crew plates 010926

The new movie launches this month, featuring Momoa and Dave Bautista, who play estranged brothers brought together by the death of their father. The story is set in the Islands.

"The Wrecking Crew"

What to know about 'The Wrecking Crew' starring Jason Momoa

<title>The Wrecking Crew Pac is now available at Zippy’s</title>

The limited-time menu item, inspired by Prime Video’s “The Wrecking Crew,” will be available at all Zippy’s locations in Hawaiʻi and Southern Nevada starting today until March 1.

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