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[{"type":"text","text":"Just like a cartoon..."}]

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<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026</title>

Just like a cartoon...

Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Hawai‘i’s new acting Lieutenant Governor says his chief priority is simply ensuring the office continues to run.

Keith Regan, state comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting and General Services, was 

 by Gov. Josh Green to fill in for Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke after she announced she would take an indefinite unpaid leave of absence last month.

But despite being unexpectedly lifted to the state’s No. 2 office without a single vote, Regan told Aloha State Daily that he sees his new position as an extension of his duties as a public servant.

“I have no political aspirations,” Regan said during an interview Monday. “I’m purely serving in this role as a public servant.”

Regan, who Green appointed as comptroller in 2022, said he understood when he took that job that there was always an outside possibility that he would need to take over the lieutenant governor position — the comptroller position is fifth in the line of succession for that role, behind the Senate president, the House speaker, the attorney general and the director of the state Department of Budget and Finance.

Nonetheless, when Luke made her announcement, Regan said he didn’t expect Green to call him about taking over her role days later.

“When the governor called me in on that Thursday morning to talk about what was transpiring, it was a conversation that — although I wasn’t prepared or expected it to happen — I understood where it was coming from,” Regan said. “And I understood my responsibilities as comptroller and what I would need to do to be able support Lt. Gov. Luke, her team, as well as the governor and the state of Hawai‘i.”

Since then, Regan said he has been acclimatizing to his new role and familiarizing himself with the duties of the office and the ongoing initiatives Luke had been spearheading, such as her “

“What I’m trying to do is understand how I can help support this [project] and then, at the same time, understand which department could be taking a greater lead in these initiatives so that they could get the support that’s needed,” Regan said.

The critical work, Regan said, is ensuring that the hundreds of documents that pass through the lieutenant governor’s office each week — such as authentication requests for new birth, marriage or death certificates, or name changes — continue through the office with no delay. In addition, he said he also needs to sign off on all new administrative rules adopted by state departments.

Regan said his experience as comptroller, and, before that, his time as the managing director for Maui County, where he lived from childhood until 2019, lends itself well to the lieutenant governor’s office. Both positions, he said, require his attention on a broad range of departmental divisions: at DAGS, he supervises eight divisions within the department, and in Maui he worked with nearly 20 different county departments.

“We do everything from accounting and auditing all the way through to enterprise IT and building new facilities, renovating facilities, handling fleet management, all of our parking garages that are under our control,” Regan said. “So it’s a very broad level of responsibility in the department, which I think helps me by putting me in that mindset and being prepared to take on other challenges, should they present themselves.”

At the same time, Regan must also keep up with DAGS’ work. While Deputy Comptroller Meoh-Leng Silliman has been temporarily elevated to Acting Comptroller during Luke’s leave of absence, Regan remains in the state comptroller role; with no pay increase, he added.

[{"type":"text","text":"“It’s kind of like they got a two-for-one deal,” Regan joked."}]

Regan said his workdays begin at about 6 a.m., and he spends the first two or three hours at DAGS, reviewing and signing documents and providing guidance as needed, and then heading to the Capitol to do lieutenant governor work. Nonetheless, he said he still checks in on DAGS throughout the day.

While Regan said his workdays ostensibly end at 4:30 or 5 p.m., he added that even at home he often spends a few hours following up on emails and other work. The legislative session, which ends this week, is a particularly busy time, he said, requiring him to review and sign off on a lot of testimony for the lieutenant governor’s office, which is work that typically can’t wait.

“It’s just something that’s absolutely necessary, and it’s my commitment as a public servant to do these things, and that’s why we sign up for these jobs, right?” Regan said.

While it isn’t clear how long Regan will remain acting lieutenant governor — and he added that he can’t sustain his current pace of work indefinitely — he said he intends to “do the best job that [he] possibly can,” whether it’s just for another week, or until the end of Luke’s term.

And after that, if Green, or whoever becomes governor following this year’s election, asks him to continue as comptroller, Regan said he would be “honored” to do so.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

25 8 11 Keith Regan tight Courtesy RT Foto IMG 5067rtfoto X8x10 16x9

<title>Acting lieutenant governor position just 'part of the job,' Regan says</title>

Comptroller-turned-state-second-in-command tells Aloha State Daily his priorities are simply to keep his offices running as smoothly as possible.

Acting lieutenant governor position just 'part of the job,' Regan says

Kalani Akana Cultural D opt

Kalani Akana

Viewpoints

Hawai‘i History

ʻAlekoko was the name of a chief of Puna, Kauaʻi. Kalālālehua (also “Hāhalua”) was his royal sister. They lived in Niumalu on the banks of Hulāʻia (also “Hulēʻia”) River.

Due to their desire for a fishpond, they commanded the Menehune people to construct and assemble a fishpond at the mouth of Hulāʻia. Their chief agreed to build the pond if the two aristocrats would adhere to the taboos of the Menehune – namely that they could not observe their work. The chiefs promised. Therefore, the Menehune would labor all night to complete the job.

The Menehune people are renown throughout Kauaʻi for their engineering. A famous chief of this people was Ola. Famous to this day are their wondrous works: Kīkī-a-Ola irrigation canal of Waimea; the koa forest and home of Hālau-a-Ola; the walkway through Alakaʻi, Kīpapa-a-Ola; and, this wondrous work, ʻAlekoko Fishpond, also called the “Menehune Fishpond.”

According to Katherine Luomala (1951), the Menehune were a different race of people who arrived in Kauaʻi before the people from Tahiti and the Marquesas. The were short, stout, dark-skinned people highly skilled in construction. In the Faraway Homeland, their ancestral origins, they were called “Manahune” and were servants of diminished socio-political power. Their mistreatment and abuse by the ruling class was a possible reason for them leaving Kahiki.

ʻAlekoko is not only named for the chief. According to famed Kauaʻi storyteller, Fred Wichman, the inability of ʻAlekoko and Kalālālehua to abide by the Menehune taboo was the main cause for its naming.

The story goes like this. Because of the loud banging and clacking of stones from being stacked and fitted, the two aliʻi sneaked a peek and looked at the Menehune. As soon as ʻAlekoko and Kalalālehua looked, the work ceased.

The chief Menehune, Ola perhaps, commanded them to stop working, wash their bloodied hands in the ripples (ʻale) of the water, and return home. Their hands were bloodied (koko) because the rocks from Wahiawa (before Hanapēpe) were not smooth, but jagged and rough. Menehune stood shoulder to shoulder from Wahiawa to Niumalu, about twenty miles, handing stones by hand one to another in the deep dark of night. At Niumalu, the stones were hewn so that they could be stacked and tightly fitted. This work is impressive in all of Hawaiʻi.

They had only one request – to observe their kapu. If those in charge cannot observe the laws then it is right for the laborer to leave the work aside.

The amazing works of this race of people, the Menhune, still exist until now. One moral of this story – keep your promises! Take care of the big person, the little person; those with much power and those with little power. Take care of ʻAlekoko.

This article is reprinted with permission from 

OHA's Ka Wai Ola newspaper: "The Menehune: A true race of people" by 

, in its April 2021 issue, Vol. 38 No. 3. Read more at 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Alakoko Fishpond 16x9

<title>Community Voices: More on the Menehune</title>

Famous to this day are the Menehune's wondrous works: Kīkī-a-Ola irrigation canal of Waimea; the koa forest and home of Hālau-a-Ola; the walkway through Alakaʻi, Kīpapa-a-Ola; and, this wondrous work, ʻAlekoko Fishpond, also called the “Menehune Fishpond.”

Community Voices: More on the Menehune

AKINA portrait 2

Keliʻi Akina

Most of the attention this year at the state Legislature has been focused on the status of our historic income tax cuts from 2024 — whether they are going to be modified or repealed, effectively resulting in a tax hike.

But there’s another tax-hike bill still alive that has been quietly making its way through the legislative process: 

This bill would increase the state conveyance tax on higher-value properties to funnel revenue into certain special funds. Supporters believe owners of multimillion-dollar properties can be targeted without affecting the economy or the housing market as a whole. Reality says otherwise.

Studies on the effect of real estate transfer taxes in general have 

 they are associated with reductions in investment, income, jobs and economic activity. 

Even when a conveyance tax is limited to higher-value properties, it is likely to have unintended consequences. For example, the so-called mansion tax that went into effect in Los Angeles in 2023 not only has had the 

 of reducing all housing sales, it has also impeded the sales of commercial, multifamily and industrial properties, threatening housing growth and the economic health of the region.

SB3028 seeks to target higher-value residential properties with a conveyance tax hike by switching from flat rates to marginal rates. Marginal rates alone are not concerning — but substantial rate increases are.

Currently, a property sold for $3.5 million to a buyer who is eligible for a county property tax home exemption would generate a conveyance tax bill of $17,500. If the most recent draft of SB3028 were to become law, the conveyance tax for that property would jump to $46,300.  

A tax hike of that magnitude is sure to reduce local property turnover, which would affect local businesses and overall housing growth. Reduced sales could also wind up decreasing tax revenue.

Historically, the conveyance tax was never intended to be a major source of revenue for the state. In fact, it started off as a simple administrative tax. It’s unfortunate that now some lawmakers see it as a piggy bank they can break open without consequences. 

It can be tempting to fund services at the expense of wealthy property owners, but taxes do not operate in a vacuum. At its core, this proposed hike on conveyance taxes is yet another example of a seemingly well-intentioned policy that is sure to do unintended economic harm.

No matter how a conveyance tax is designed to operate, it will have a ripple effect throughout the economy, and any increase is likely to make the state’s housing crisis worse.

[{"type":"text","text":"Hawaiʻi needs more housing, not less."}]

Reprinted with permission from the April 27, 2026, "President's Corner" of 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Shutterstock 1439717039 scaled

<title>Community Voices: The unintended consequences of transfer taxes</title>

Studies on the effect of real estate transfer taxes in general have found they are associated with reductions in investment, income, jobs and economic activity. It's also likely to make the state’s housing crisis worse, per Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i.

Community Voices: The unintended consequences of transfer taxes

A proposal to prohibit corporate political donations could also prohibit contributions by workers’ unions, some unions argue.

, which passed third reading in the state House of Representatives Tuesday, challenges the verdict of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case that found that it is unconstitutional to pass laws prohibiting political spending by corporations.

Nonetheless, SB2471 attempts to do just that, albeit through a technicality: while the Citizens United verdict found that impinging on a corporation’s First Amendment 

 is unconstitutional, limits on a corporation’s 

 are not. Therefore, the bill’s language specifies that a corporation recognized in Hawai‘i can only wield powers granted by the state.

Those state-authorized “artificial-person powers” would include the power to sue, to purchase and own property, to make contracts, lend money and more. They explicitly exclude the power to “engage in election activity or ballot-issue activity.”

 removed language that differentiates charitable and political donations, which Rep. Scot Matayoshi (D-Kāne‘ohe) said at the time would allow nonprofits and unions to make political donations while still preventing corporations from doing so. However, several unions have opposed the measure out of concern that the bill still limits their ability to engage in elections.

Jeffrey Masatsugu, representing the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 50, submitted testimony 

 opposing the measure, writing that it is unclear whether trade unions will be prohibited from taking electoral action.

Masatsugu pointed to language in the latest versions of the measure that allow incorporated nonprofits to carry out “election activity” via candidate and noncandidate committees. Whether that applies to unions, however, is an open question, Masatsugu wrote, but the state statutes regarding unincorporated nonprofits can be interpreted to apply to trade unions, which would leave them unable to make political donations.

Two other construction unions — the Hawai‘i Building and Construction Trades Council and the Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675 — also opposed the measure on similar grounds.

However, other prominent unions — including the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association, the largest union in the state — have remained mum on the measure one way or the other.

Nonetheless, the bill still has at least one staunch opponent: the state Department of the Attorney General, which has repeatedly warned that the measure will most likely provoke a legal challenge at cost to the state taxpayer.

Last week, the Attorney General also argued against the argument that stripping a corporation of its power is different from stripping it of its rights. In a letter, the Department of the Attorney General called that “an untested legal theory … that collapses in upon itself upon further examination.

“The operative theory behind this bill is that states have the ability to define corporate powers and can strip certain powers to speak based upon the content of that speech,” read the AG’s letter. “This bill then contradicts its own theory by saying that foreign corporations authorized to transact business in Hawai‘i … are also subject to the provisions of the bill. However, Hawai‘i has no ability to define the corporate powers of foreign corporations.”

Nonetheless, the bill passed third reading in the House on Tuesday with only two representatives — Republicans Garner Shimizu and Elijah Pierick — voting against it.

[{"type":"text","text":"The HGEA did not respond to Aloha State Daily’s requests for comment."}]

State capitol 022725

<title>House passes anti-corporate-election-spending bill</title>

Bill that would strip from corporations the power to make political donations is on the cusp of passing, despite Attorney General's warnings.

House passes anti-corporate-election-spending bill

Crime & Courts

Residents are advised to stay vigilant against increasingly elaborate phone scams pretending to be police or court officials.

Honolulu plastic surgeon Bob Peterson was targeted by one of the more recent tools of the telephone scamming trade: a phone call, supposedly from the Hawai‘i Sheriff’s Office, warning that he had missed jury duty and was facing potential criminal charges.

In hindsight, Peterson said, it should have been clear that he couldn’t have missed jury duty without first having been informed of jury selection. But, he told Aloha State Daily, the call came early in the morning and he was “caught unawares.”

“I could easily imagine a situation where I missed a notice or didn’t sign something,” Peterson said, adding that the scammer had spoofed the Sheriff’s Office’s caller ID. “It was a very plausible story.”

The caller — who Peterson said sounded “American,” albeit through a poor, fuzzy phone connection — said there was a warrant for Peterson’s arrest now that he had supposedly missed his court date for jury duty and that, if he hung up, police would come to arrest him.

The scammer told Peterson that, in order to avoid an arrest, he first had to read aloud a series of documents texted to him without dropping the call.

Those documents included a false “mobile escort order” bearing the letterhead of the United States District Court — informing the reader that they are under court order to remain on the phone line until they make it to a law enforcement facility “for your personal protection” — and a non-disclosure agreement bearing the watermark of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Peterson guessed that remaining on the line while reading the documents served both as a distraction — making it harder to focus on inconsistencies and errors in either the documents or the scammer’s statements — and to ensure that the victim had the base technical literacy for the next step.

Eventually, one of the documents gave the game away, Peterson said. A notice purporting to be from the Office of the Attorney General — no jurisdiction specified — claimed that “all warrants deemed elligible [sic] for cash bond must be posted in … either UNITED STATES DIGITIAL [sic] CURRENCY, or Bitcoin.”

“When I saw the stuff about crypto, I said ‘oh! This is a scam!,'” Peterson said.

Peterson hung up the phone immediately after realizing the ruse, although he joked that, if he wasn’t scheduled to perform surgery that morning, he might have enjoyed playing along and wasting the caller’s time.

“I was on the phone for like 40 minutes,” Peterson said. “Wasted the whole morning.”

By cutting the call short, Peterson said he never figured out how the scammer intended to actually take his money. The caller had told him to visit a “federal bonding kiosk” to pay bail and supplied a picture of such a supposed device, as well as an instructional form — this one bearing seals of the U.S. Civil Service Commission and the Department of the Treasury — explaining how to obtain a Bitcoin bail bond.

Based on those instructions, the scammer likely would have provided a code, claiming it to be issued by the Treasury, that would have allowed for money to be transferred to a Bitcoin account controlled by the scammer.

There is no such thing as a “federal bonding kiosk." Peterson said the location the scammer had directed him to was likely an ordinary Bitcoin kiosk.

Nonetheless, Peterson said people could easily be fooled by the scam. Because it floods the victim with so much information that seems valid at first glance, a person could be overwhelmed and not see any of the red flags before it’s too late.

The Hawai‘i State Judiciary issued a warning about jury duty scams 

. At the time, the government warned that the courts will never demand immediate payment via cryptocurrency, wire transfer, pre-paid debit cards or other tools.

The Judiciary also makes all official jury service communications through the U.S. Postal Service.

People who have received a suspicious call or text should hang up immediately and not answer any questions or press additional numbers during the call. Any suspicious emails or text messages should be deleted.

If you have been targeted by a scammer — particularly if you have given personal information or money to a scammer — report the incident to the police and the FBI’s 

I Stock 1456498214 16x9

<title>Watch out for jury duty scams</title>

Phone scams are becoming increasingly elaborate; here's how to watch out for one of the latest tricks.

Watch out for jury duty scams

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 is recognized for its dweji gomtang, a traditional Korean soup that’s usually cooked slow-cooked with meat. The restaurant’s Seoul location was listed in the MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand since 2018; in 2022, it expanded to open in New York, following a four-month pop-up. The restaurant will soon be opening locations in both Paris and Tokyo. 

In September 2023, OKDONGSIK actually did a pop-up on O‘ahu — the nearly two-week pop-up was held at ʻEwa Beach Country Club.

Those who attended the pop-up will be thrilled to know that the biz recently opened a new brick-and-mortar in Honolulu (in Sky Ala Moana). OKDONGSIK’s Honolulu location is currently open for lunch and dinner; last order is 30 minutes before closing. 

The restaurant’s entrance is off Makaloa Street. Currently, the eatery mostly includes counter seating; about 20 seats are available.

Dweji gomtang ($18), the restaurant’s signature dish, features a clean and savory pork broth that’s served with sliced pork and rice. According to the eatery’s website, OKDONGSIK’s dweji gomtang is made by slow-simmering pork shoulders, radish, onions, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and green onions, resulting in an ultra-clear broth. The broth is seasoned with salt to highlight its distinct pork flavor.

The hot pork broth is both flavorful and comforting. It’s lightly seasoned — not overly salty — so you can’t help but feel healthy when eating it. 

If you’re craving something refreshing, the cabbage kimchi noodles ($16) are ideal. The chilled noodles are served in a tangy, cabbage kimchi broth.

Initially, the intense, red broth looks intimidating. I can’t handle a lot of kimchi due to its spiciness, but I was pleased to discover that this broth featured a milder kimchi flavor. 

It still has that tangy, vinegary flavor, but the dish is more refreshing than anything else, which is perfect on a muggy summer day. 

This katsu specialty features pork loin cutlet served with cabbage salad, pickled pepper, soup and rice. Since each piece is thick and meaty, this dish can feel heavy, but the pork cutlet boasts a tantalizing, crispy exterior and juicy interior.

The eatery’s Korean green plum drink, or Maesil Ade ($5), also comes highly recommended. It’s very tart — think ume, but in drink form — but its bright flavor cuts the richness of the katsu.

Note: If you have your heart set on getting donkatsu, be sure to order it as soon as possible, as only limited quantities — specifically, 40 servings — are made per day.

If you’re looking for a shareable appetizer, the meaty seafood cake ($5) is a good choice, since it includes two pieces. The fluffy, eggy dish is like a thicker pancake that’s lightly seasoned with soy sauce.

Self-parking for OKDONGSIK is available in the same parking structure as Sera Honolulu (one-hour restaurant validation will be given). Street parking is also available.

Open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for lunch Tuesdays-Sundays; dinner 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and Sundays; 5-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays

Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Authors

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