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<title>Daily Smile: Saturday, January 17, 2026</title>

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Daily Smile: Saturday, January 17, 2026

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<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026</title>

Some doggos aren't fans of Halloween...

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

When you hear sirens and see the white, orange and blue City and County of Honolulu ambulance 34 race through Kaimukī, the paramedics and emergency medical technicians are likely coming from the newest Honolulu Emergency Medical Services station on Waiʻalae Avenue.

The Kaimukī EMS station is centrally located in Kaimukī in the Civil Beat Plaza, making it what Emergency Medical Services Director Jim Ireland said during a blessing ceremony Tuesday is an “ideal place for us.”

Kaimukī is a busy area filled with families, kūpuna and businesses, Ireland said, and the call volume necessitated expanded ambulance service. The 

 to Kaimukī were at Wailupe Fire Station and the Pāwaʻa I unit at the Waikīkī Fire Station.

First responders from the Kaimukī EMS station have responded to more than 200 911 calls and transported more than 100 patients to emergency rooms since the station opened on Oct. 4. The ambulance serves Kaimukī, Pālolo Valley and Kāhala and serves as a backup ambulance for East Oʻahu and East Honolulu.

The city considered purchasing land and building a station next to the Kaimukī Fire Station on Koko Head Avenue, but Ireland said that construction would cut into the mountain, disrupt a cultural site, cost upwards of $10 million and take three to five years to build.

“We can stay here at the current rent for 80 years for what it would have cost us to build that station,” Ireland said.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi credited EMS leaders for responding to the demand and need for medical coverage in Kaimukī and applauded the paramedics and EMTs for their hard work.

“When you have to call an ambulance, chances are you’re having the worst day of your life at that moment in time,” he said at the blessing, adding that emergency medical services are critical to the city’s public safety. “These are just people who really want to serve, who understand the need to serve and find a way to do it. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Kahu Brutus LaBenz provided the traditional oli during the blessing ceremony on Tuesday with a pule focused on prosperity and longevity.

When asked by LaBenz what energies they wanted in the space, Paramedic Reece Fujikawa said “positive, good vibes,” and EMT Riley Agtaguem said “welcoming, healing energy.”

Fujikawa, who supervises the station, told reporters that he sees the new station as a positive for the community.

“It’s a big impact having this Kaimukī station here,” he said. “Having this station here will have a big impact on call volume and the amount of calls we can respond to in the area.”

Fujikawa said that he enjoys the new space, which has two crew restrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms and showers for the four paramedics and four EMTs in the 850-square-foot space.

“Just having that area to just relax and decompress is big,” he said.

The ambulance will be parked on Koko Head Avenue from around 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and behind the Goodwill Hawaiʻi drop-off bay at night.

The Kaimukī EMS station marks the city’s 24th EMS facility, and the department has plans to expand medical coverage across the island.

Ireland told reporters that the step pay structure that the city implemented last year has already created improvements in recruiting and retaining paramedics and EMTs. The EMS department plans to hire 24 people in the coming weeks to fill vacancies and currently has 14 EMTs and four dispatchers in the academy, according to Ireland.

“By January we will have less than 10 vacancies in the whole department for a full force of about 310 people,” he said.

According to Ireland, the department plans to open the next EMS station on West Oʻahu by the end of the month and hopes to expand services on the North Shore and Windward Oʻahu over the next two to three years to address growing call volumes and gaps in services.

Kaimuki EMS station blessing ceremony

<title>New EMS station aims to lower ambulance response times, increase medical coverage in…</title>

The City and County of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Department opened a new EMS station in Kaimukī this month and hosted a blessing ceremony Tuesday afternoon.

New EMS station aims to lower ambulance response times, increase medical coverage in Kaimukī

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

A new affordable housing development in ‘Ewa Beach will soon welcome its first families.

, "has gone well and we are currently ahead of schedule," project manager Stanford Carr, Jr. told Aloha State Daily in an email. "We expect the first families to move in at the end of October or the start of November. The remaining three buildings are expected to be complete and in service by the start of December."

Kaleimaʻo Village is being developed by Komohale West Loch Venture LP, a joint venture between Stanford Carr Development and Standard Communities.

The approximately $60 million rental development — located at 91-1400 Renton Road, on a 3.7-acre lot owned by the City and County of Honolulu — will have 27 one-bedroom, 87 two-bedroom, 12 three-bedroom units, along with a resident manager unit; community center with a meeting space, office, laundry facilities and mailboxes; 128 vehicle and 64 bicycle stalls; and access to the Kualaka‘i and Keone‘ae Skyline rail stations.

 on the project a little more than a year ago.

Carr says that all 126 income-restricted units are available to households earning up to 60% of the area median income, while seven units are set aside for households earning up to 30% AMI. The homes will remain affordable for 61 years.

Income limits vary by household size. For example, for a household of four, 60% AMI is $92,400 while 30% AMI is $46,200. You can find the city's current income limits 

Monthly rents will run from $698 to $1,564 for a one-bedroom unit; $803 to $1,843 for a two-bedroom unit; and $897 to $2,099 for a three-bedroom unit, Carr noted.

[{"type":"text","text":"Applications recently opened but the window to apply closed on Sept. 30."}]

"The response has been strong," Carr says. "We received more than 600 applications within the first two weeks."

Hawai‘i Affordable Properties at 808-589-1845 ext. 14 or 

Partnering with the development community to build housing on city-owned lands is one of the components of a 

has sought partners for the redevelopment of a number of properties across O‘ahu.

Most recently, the city is currently finalizing demolition work at the former 

 site in Kalihi ahead of future transit-oriented redevelopment and preparing for demolition at another city-owned site at 

 in Waikīkī, which also is planned to be redeveloped for affordable housing. You can read 

Kaleimao village aerial 1026

<title>Construction 'ahead of schedule' on West O‘ahu affordable housing development</title>

Kaleima‘o Village, an affordable rental project located on a 3.7-acre lot in ‘Ewa Beach owned by the City and County of Honolulu, has 28 one-bedroom, 87 two-bedroom and 12 three-bedroom units. The first families are expected to move in soon.

Construction 'ahead of schedule' on West O‘ahu affordable housing development

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night, feeling like someone or something is sitting on your chest, pressing you down into the bed. Your eyes are open, and you are fully aware of your surroundings, but you’re completely unable to move. You try to will your arms to push your body up and your legs to kick out, but nothing happens. You can’t see anyone, but you feel a chilling presence in the room with you. You’re not alone.

Numerous related traditions exist around the world. Newfoundland’s Old Hag, the Scandinavian Mare, and the Italian Pandafeche all include a supernatural being either sitting, standing, or pressing upon the sleeper. The Hmong people’s Dab Tsog is described as a crushing spirit that sits on the chest and takes the sleeper’s breath. The Turkish Ağırlık throws itself onto sleeping people and presses down with full force, preventing them from waking. While every culture has a name for this strange experience, in Hawai‘i, we simply call it the Pressing Ghost.

The sensations are not limited to being pressed into your bed. Sometimes the sleeper reports feelings of choking or strangulation. A choking ghost is said to grab or strangle a sleeping person, sometimes making it difficult to speak or breathe. With a pressing ghost, the person may feel as though someone is sitting on their chest or body, pushing them into the mattress, or simply holding them down with tremendous weight. While neither experience necessarily involves seeing the entity responsible, folklore often interprets the physical sensation as evidence that something has entered the room.

According to doctors and sleep researchers, there is a scientific explanation. Most attribute these sensations to sleep paralysis, a strange state in which the mind wakes before the body. During REM sleep, our brain temporarily prevents most bodily movement so we don’t physically act out our dreams. If consciousness returns before that paralysis has ended, the result can be a terrifying combination of awareness, immobility, and vivid physical or sensory experiences.

A person may be fully aware of the room around them but still be unable to move or speak. Some people also experience sounds of footsteps or breathing, figures moving in the dark, or the unmistakable feeling that someone, or something, is in the room. The most frightening sensations are pressure on the body, as though an unseen weight is holding the sleeper down, or the feeling of something choking or strangling them.

Sleep paralysis is not particularly rare. A systematic review of 35 studies involving more than 36,500 people found that an estimated 7.6 percent of the general population, roughly one person in 13, had experienced sleep paralysis at least once.

However, that does not mean every story of a ghost choking or pressing someone in bed can be explained as sleep paralysis. Some experiences do not fit the phenomenon, and the medical explanation cannot accurately establish what a person actually experienced. What it does show is that the sensations associated with sleep paralysis are remarkably vivid, and may explain why stories of beings that choke, sit upon, or press down sleeping people appear in so many different cultures.

Professor Loyd Auerbach, a parapsychologist and longtime investigator of paranormal experiences, takes a somewhat different approach from the strictly medical explanation. He recognizes that sleep paralysis can produce experiences of a presence, pressure, suffocation, and even the sensation that something is sitting on or pressing down on the body. At the same time, he does not believe that every experience reported as a ghost can simply be dismissed as sleep paralysis. Auerbach emphasizes that investigators should look at the details of each experience and distinguish between different types of phenomena rather than assuming a single explanation.

A few years ago, a Kaua‘i resident shared her experience with a pressing ghost in a cabin in Kōke‘e State Park.

“Before the lease auction in 2024,” she explained, “Our family used to camp in a little cabin in Kōke‘e almost every summer. We’d been going there for as long as I can remember, my parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, my two cousins, my brother, and me. It was always a special time for us. There was no electricity or TV, but we were never bored. Camping by lanterns and flashlights was always fun for us kids.”

As an adult, her family chose not to pursue a new lease, so they got together one last time to relax and enjoy the outdoors in Kōke‘e together. While the cold air and dozens of hiking trails are invigorating and exciting, they’re also exhausting. After a long day of fun and exploration, the entire family finally laid down to sleep.

For some reason, the woman woke up in the middle of the night to the sensation of being watched. She can’t explain why, but the feeling she got was negative, unhappy, almost angry. Then suddenly, it felt like someone was sitting or lying on top of her, and she was unable to move. She couldn’t even turn her head, but as she moved her eyes around the room, she couldn’t see anyone. Shadows in the corners teased her as she thought some entity might be hiding there, just out of sight. She tried and tried to move her arms and legs, to sit up, but she felt paralyzed; trapped under the weight of some unseen force.

The more she struggled, the more terrified she became, and she swears she heard someone else in the room shuffling around in the dark. Tears began to stream down her face into her ears, and she wondered if she was having a stroke or some other medical episode. She closed her eyes and prayed frantically, all the while trying to move. Then suddenly, the feeling disappeared, and she sat straight up in the bed.

She woke her husband, who used his flashlight to investigate the house and the locks on the doors and windows, but she knew he wouldn’t find anything. She guesses that the entire ordeal probably lasted only a few minutes, but in that state, feeling like someone was deliberately pushing her down into her bed, it seemed much, much longer.

“My mother immediately said ‘pressing ghost.’ My husband thought I should go to the ER,” she said, “And Google said ‘sleep paralysis.’ But I just don’t know. The feeling was real. The feeling of someone or something’s anger was real. And my fear was real.”

Kokee maiden

<title>Pressing Ghost in Kōke‘e</title>

Cultures all around the world have a name for the ghost that sits on your chest, keeping you immobile and terrified when you wake in the middle of the night. The same is true for Hawai‘i, and here's a tale of one such frightening experience in a cabin in Kōke‘e.

Pressing Ghost in Kōke‘e

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

’s Trini Kaopuiki Clark is planning to leave her role as president and CEO at the end of October for a new opportunity at Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association, or HMSA.

Chief Development Officer Madalyn Kenney Bumanglag will step up to serve in the interim to continue the organization’s “work of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses across the state,” per an announcement from the nonprofit earlier this month.

“Trini has led Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi with heart, vision and an unwavering commitment to wish children and their families,” said Board Chair Cayenne Pe‘a in a statement. “We are immensely proud of all she has accomplished and deeply grateful for the strong, resilient organization she leaves behind. Madalyn’s experience, steady leadership and devotion to our mission make her exceptionally prepared to guide the organization forward. With our dedicated staff, volunteers, donors and community partners, Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi will continue ensuring children across the state experience the hope, strength and joy of a life-changing wish.”

Clark became Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi’s president and CEO in 2019, after a 20-year career in broadcast journalism. Under her leadership, the organization navigated granting wishes through the Covid-19 pandemic amid gathering restrictions, moved headquarters and saw an increase in annual fundraising.

“Although I am stepping away from my role, this mission — and the incredible community behind it — will always remain close to my heart. I look forward to staying connected to the mission as a volunteer and donor,” she told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions.

Clark shared more with ASD about her tenure with the nonprofit and what’s on the horizon.

What prompted this decision for you to leave Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi right now?

The opportunity came to me during a season of transition for my family, when we were preparing our youngest to leave for college and my husband had recently decided to leave his job. That made me more open to change than I might have been even a month or two earlier. Additionally, the timing felt right because Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi is strong, stable and well-positioned for the future. With a talented leadership team, a committed board and a clear strategic direction in place, I felt confident that this was the right moment to pass the torch and embrace a new challenge. That said, leaving Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi was one of the most difficult decisions of my career. The mission and the people there have had a profound impact on me over the years.

Ultimately, the opportunity to join HMSA as vice president of strategic communications and marketing was one that aligned with both my professional interests and my desire to continue serving the people of Hawaiʻi in a different capacity.

What skills/experiences from this role will you take with you to the next one?

This role has taught me so much about leadership and the critical importance of people, purpose, and relationships. I've also learned a lot about how to build and lead high-performing teams, navigate challenges, communicate through periods of change, and align diverse stakeholders around a common mission. 

Most importantly, Make-A-Wish has reinforced my belief in the importance of aloha. Almost always, if your decisions and actions are guided by aloha and empathy, you're going to be okay. Every decision we make affects real people, and I will carry that perspective with me to HMSA.

How was the organization when you first joined, versus how you are leaving it? What improvements around staffing, operations, funding, etc., are you most proud of?

When I joined Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi, it was already a respected organization with a passionate team and strong community support. Today, the chapter has greater capacity, more efficient operations and a stronger foundation for long-term sustainability.

I’m particularly proud of the investments we’ve made in our people and the strong, healthy culture we’ve built around mission excellence and employee engagement. I’m also proud of how we guided the chapter through the pandemic, achieved record-breaking fundraising results, and earned local and national recognition for excellence and innovation. Those honors include first place in Hawaiʻi Business Magazine’s Best Places to Work for Women category and first place in Pacific Business News’ Hawaiʻi’s Best Workplaces competition.

Most importantly, we've remained focused on the children we serve. Every operational or financial improvement was designed to ensure that all eligible children can receive the transformative experience of a wish.

What is your most treasured memory from your time with 

Without question, I will miss the people. I have had the privilege of working alongside an extraordinary staff, board of directors, volunteers, medical partners, donors, and wish families who show up every day to make the impossible possible for local children.

I will also miss witnessing the life-changing impact of a wish. There is something incredibly powerful about seeing a child reclaim hope, joy, and strength during a difficult medical journey. Being part of those moments is indescribable. I never take for granted the privilege of being part of those experiences.

It’s difficult to choose just one memory because there have been so many extraordinary moments. I’ll never forget Lyla’s wish to be a Navy SEAL, when more than 100 volunteers showed up to play the “bad guys,” or watching Atticus perform on stage with his musical hero, Mr. Rob. I will also treasure the memories I’ve made with our amazing team. They inspire me every day, and I am a better person for having worked alongside them.

Currently, what are the organization's short- and long-term priorities?

In the short term, our priority is ensuring that every eligible child in Hawaiʻi has access to the life-changing power of a wish. That includes increasing referrals, reducing wait times, and continuing to rebuild and strengthen the wish pipeline.

Long term, the focus is on sustainable growth: strengthening awareness of the mission, deepening community partnerships and securing the organization’s financial stability for generations to come. The recently adopted strategic plan provides a clear roadmap for achieving those goals.

What is your best piece of advice for your successor?

Stay focused on the mission and never lose sight of the child at the center of every decision.

And remember, people are at the core of everything we do. Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi has been successful because of its people. Invest in your staff, trust their expertise, support their growth, and create a culture where everyone feels seen, heard, appreciated, and connected to the impact they're making.

Trini with Wish Kid Kainoa

<title>Trini Clark reflects on time with Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi, looks ahead to role at HMSA</title>

Clark will depart from her role as president and CEO of the nonprofit at the end of this month after more than seven years in the role. Chief Development Officer Madalyn Kenney Bumanglag will step up to serve in the interim to continue the organization’s “work of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses across the state.”

Trini Clark reflects on time with Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi, looks ahead to role at HMSA

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier stood beside his lawyer in downtown Honolulu on Friday. He said the mayor of his county is under criminal investigation.

Mayor Richard Bissen says he knows of no active investigation.

Days earlier, the Maui Police Commission had voted 6-0 to put Pelletier on paid leave. It is reviewing how Pelletier oversaw the department’s criminal intelligence unit. That unit’s top officer was arrested in August and 

“I think somebody’s trying to influence the mayor’s race on Maui,” Bissen told 

. He faces Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura on Nov. 3. Ballots reach mailboxes this week.

Pelletier said the claims involve “corruption, fraud and retaliation.” He would not name the agency leading the case. He also would not describe a second inquiry he says his own department has opened.

Council Chair Alice Lee says the lead agency in the first case is the state attorney general. That office would not say whether any case exists. “We’re talking about criminal allegations of embezzlement,” Lee told 

, speaking of a former administration employee.

Maui will vote without knowing whether the chief’s claim is true. That makes it one more thing to weigh, beside a record voters already have.

In April, Bissen’s former chief of staff, Leo Caires, filed a whistleblower suit. I 

 about it at the time. Caires alleges he found a suspect invoice in the Office of Economic Development and traced it to one of the mayor’s aides. He says he was fired when he kept digging.

Earlier, Luana Mahi ran that office. On her watch, nonprofits tied to her family and a former business associate received more than $1.2 million in county money. She was placed on paid leave and later fired.

The mayor’s office has not always been forthcoming, either. Bissen was mayor when Lahaina burned. At 3:32 p.m. that day he texted his emergency management chief: “I’m coming back up after my Dr. appt.” The text surfaced eight months later in the attorney general’s fire report.

 Bissen’s secretary had canceled the appointment. It said the Mayor spent the rest of the day in the county building. A few weeks later, in a 

, the county changed its account. “After further checking,” it said, Bissen had seen his cardiologist in Wailuku at 3:20 p.m.

Bissen may be right that someone is trying to influence the election. But what he calls influence is information. Voters have a right to know what their leaders have done in office.

If Pelletier has real cause to suspect the mayor, speaking before the vote is rational. A chief who has just been put on leave also has his own reasons to talk. Voters can weigh Pelletier’s credibility too.

The claim is unproven, and it should not settle anyone’s vote. Voters can answer influence with calm attention to the facts about each candidate. Then they choose who will best represent them. That’s how democracy works.

Mayor Bissen Getty Images 1595220331 16x9

<title>Maui mayor’s race: Pelletier’s unproven claim about Bissen</title>

Two days after he was put on paid leave, Maui’s police chief stood beside his lawyer and said the mayor is under criminal investigation. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why an unproven claim is one more thing for voters to weigh, beside a record they already have.

Daily Smile: Saturday, January 17, 2026

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