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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"If my dogs had a cellphone..."}]

Smile 26 2 27

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, February 27, 2026</title>

If my dogs had a cellphone...

Daily Smile: Friday, February 27, 2026

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

As he enters his fifth season overseeing linebackers for the University of Hawai‘i football team, associate head Chris Brown believes his position group is in a great spot. 

The "Lion's Den," as Brown calls his unit, is set to start a pair of seniors in Wynden Ho‘ohuli and Jamih Otis. Ho‘ohuli will play middle linebacker, while Otis, just eight and a half months removed from a torn ACL, is set to roam the field at the outside linebacker spot. Led by the leadership in his seniors and the talent behind them, Brown says the "Lion's Den" is the deepest it's ever been. 

"I'm very, very impressed with 'the Lions'," Brown told Aloha State Daily following a recent practice. "It's probably the most talented squad I've ever had. The problem now is I got about seven guys I can play. They all have something special about them. They all play with with grit, toughness, and they're really, really smart. As of right now, man, it's probably the best room I've ever had."

Even though Brown has penciled in the group's starters ahead of its Aug. 29 opener at Stanford, competition in the "Lion's Den" continues to intensify. 

For the past year, Aisiah "Scoob" Paogofie has done his best to force Brown's hand. Paogofie, a 2025 Campbell graduate, redshirted in his true freshman season with the Rainbow Warriors. He showed flashes of his potential on the scout team, but in spring and fall practices, he's continued to turn heads with his speed, physicality and intensity. During live reps in recent practices, multiple coaches were seen praising him for his instincts off the ball, as well. 

"Scoob's probably the most talented guy I got," Brown said. 

"He has that kind of skill set that he can do anything. Last year, we put him on scout team as the running back, and he looked like a natural, like he's been doing it for 10 years. But he has that ability and speed to play safety. He's just so savvy of where the ball is going to go, and then the ability to bend and get off of blocks. He just knows where the ball is going to go, and his speed is different than the rest."

Brown compared Paogofie to his uncle, former Wai‘anae High School star of the 1990s, Chris Paogofie. It's no wonder that Scoob Paogofie wears the same No. 31 his uncle did for the Seariders. 

Additionally, Brown says he sees bits of former UH linebacker Darius Muasau in Scoob Paogofie. Muasau is currently entering his third NFL season with the New York Giants. 

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Paogofie appears to still be growing into his wiry frame. Bulking into a linebacker's body's has gone according to a plan hatched from when Brown recruited Paogofie out of high school, back when the Campbell safety was less than 200 pounds. 

"When I recruited him, I knew he was a safety in high school," Brown recalled. "But I looked at how big his bottom half was, and I said, 'This kid is going to get to 215, 220 really easy.' So, he'll be able to play in the box. Maybe not the tallest guy, but just the ability to find the ball over and over and over. I'm really, really excited about his future. I need to play him this year, and he's kind of forced my hand to make him play, and he's definitely gonna play a lot of snaps this season."

Aisiah Paogofie was born in Minnesota, which is where his family relocated to from Samoa at the time. After moving to O‘ahu as a preschooler, he calls the Islands home. The nickname "Scoob" stuck when a Campbell teammate believed he drew a resemblance to Scooby-Doo, in addition to the fact that he was a "dog" on the field. 

Hearing the praise thrown at him from his coaches, specifically Brown, means a lot to Paogofie as he looks to earn playing time. At the same time, he knows he's far from a finished product. 

Just living up to the 'Lion's Den' is a lot, but it's also really cool to be a part of," Paogofie said. 

"I think camp is going really good for me, but there's little tweaks I gotta work on."

As much as he itched to play last season, 

Paogofie looks back at his redshirt year as a valuable one. If not for what he learned watching from the sidelines in 2025, perhaps he wouldn't be the same player Brown and the rest of the coaching staff are eager to fully unleash in 2026. 

"I think it helped me understand [the game] more," 

"Coming in as a freshman, I came around this time, so I really didn't have that much experience as the spring guys had. Just taking that year to understand how the program works and the family that they have over here. 

I'm really excited for this team, to be honest, because we're all hungry."

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Aisiah "Scoob" Paogofie

<title>Aisiah 'Scoob' Paogofie emerges as potential impact player for Hawai‘i football</title>

Paogofie, a second year linebacker out of Campbell, has turned heads so far during preseason training camp for the Rainbow Warriors.

Aisiah 'Scoob' Paogofie emerges as potential impact player for Hawai‘i football

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

, previously located in Kaimukī, now has a new home.

Business owner Kanako Kiyabu says she has been looking for a new space for her business for more than a year.

“We really loved being part of the Kaimukī community,” she says. “As our business continued to grow, we needed a larger kitchen to keep up with production. We spent about a year looking for the right space, and we’re so happy we finally find our new location.”

The business had been located in Kaimukī for about six years, according to Kiyabu.

“It (the business) all started when I made my daughter’s first birthday cake,” she says. “After that, friends and family began asking me to make cakes for their special occasions, and my business grew, little by little.”

While her business stemmed from making cakes, Kiyabu says the business's name “We Heart Cake Company” had a deeper meaning.

“I didn’t want it to be just about me making cakes,” she says. “I wanted it to be about our team, our customers and our community. We create happiness together. The heart (symbol in our name) is simple, cute and something everyone recognizes. But to me, it also represents love, kindness, care and the spirit of Aloha.”

We Heart Cake Co. closed its doors in Kaimukī at the end of May and soft opened in its new space in mid-June. The dessert shop is now located on South King Street; the entrance to the parking lot is on Liona Street.

“We have more space to work efficiently, and our customers have been so warm and welcoming,” Kiyabu says. “We’re happy to be part of this community. Our new location has a much-larger kitchen, which allows us to make more products, while maintaining the quality we care about.

“The name ‘We Heart Cake Company’ reminds us that everything we make is created with love and care,” she adds. “We truly put our hearts into every product we make.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Having more customer parking is another benefit of the new location."}]

“Customers can park right in front of our store for up to 30 minutes when they’re picking up an order from We Heart Cake Company,” Kiyabu says. “It makes pick-up much more convenient and stress-free.”

The business is popular for its cakes, but also offers cake pops, cupcakes, mini meringue cookies and butter mochi.

Its lava puffs ($4.95 each or $4 with a purchase of more than four) are a new dessert now available at the store, according to Kiyabu.

“One of our most popular products right now is our lava puff,” Kiyabu says. “What makes it special is the crispy top and the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth cream filling. We also offer unique flavors that you won’t find everywhere, like red velvet and ube.”

The business’s butter mochi is also a newer treat. We Heart Cake Co.’s butter mochi and daifuku (mochi with a filling, often red bean paste) are both made using high-quality mochiko flour imported from Asia, according to Kiyabu.

“Being Japanese, I’ve always loved traditional Japanese sweets,” Kiyabu says. “In Hawai

i, I became fascinated by butter mochi because it’s such a wonderful combination of Japanese mochi culture and Hawaiʻi’s local culture.”

Customers can now find We Heart Cake Co.’s butter mochi — available in flavors like original, peanut butter and coconut — in 7-Eleven stores, Times Supermarkets and at Aloha Gas stations.

We Heart Cake Co. is officially celebrating its grand opening this Saturday, Aug. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During this time, the business will be giving away free cake pops to the first 102 customers, according to Kiyabu.

“We wouldn’t be here without the support of Hawai

i’s local community,” Kiyabu says. “Because of your support, we’ve been able to grow and continue doing what we love. We Heart Cake Company exists because of all of you (our customers), and we’re truly grateful.”

Open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, closed Sundays

We Heart Cake Co business owner 080526

<title>We Heart Cake Co. has a new Honolulu store</title>

The dessert shop — which used to be in Kaimukī — is now open in McCully. The biz is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 8, with free cake pops for the first 102 customers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We Heart Cake Co. has a new Honolulu store

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Prior to Western contact, the Waiākea Peninsula at the edge of Hilo Bay sustained a thriving Hawaiian community for generations. As Hilo gradually developed into an important port for the sandalwood trade, supply replenishment, and the whaling industry, the area began to change.

Although the traditional stewardship of the ʻaina ensured the loʻi kalo (taro fields) and the loko iʻa (fishponds) continued to provide food for the area, the peninsula slowly took on a different purpose. Then, the introduction of private ownership through the Great Mahele of 1848 forever changed how Waiākea would be managed.

With the expansion of Hilo Harbor, the wetlands were drained, and fishponds fell into disuse. To accommodate larger ships, the bay was dredged, and the fill from the bay was used to create new land along the shoreline. Ancient canoe landings disappeared beneath that newly created land, and much of the ceremonial landscape surrounding Kūakaʻananuʻu Heiau was erased. Roads, homes, and public buildings gradually spread across the shoreline, covering many of the features that had defined Waiākea for centuries.

Due to the harborʻs continued growth and change, today’s shoreline bears little resemblance to the one that greeted the first Western merchant vessels. During the early 1900s, a new public park was created to honor the last reigning monarch. Liliʻuokalani Gardens, with its walking paths, decorative bridges, and ornamental gardens replaced the loʻi kalo and loko iʻa, creating a space where residents and visitors could enjoy the shores of Hilo Bay.

In 1933, the Hilo Parks Commission invited director Cecil B. DeMille and other celebrities from the film "Four Frightened People" to plant banyan trees along a new roadway. Later that year, Babe Ruth planted a tree, and the road was formally designated the following year in time for a visit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who planted his own tree. Over time, nearly 50 trees were planted by aviators, entertainers, politicians, and other notable visitors, and the Banyan Drive became known as “Hilo’s Walk of Fame.” In 1939, the Naniloa Hotel opened its doors on the site of a former yacht club, welcoming visitors to its tranquil location by the sea.

Like the rest of Hilo, the Waiākea Peninsula has had to face the destructive power of the sea. Tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 devastated the coast, destroying homes, businesses, and facilities along the waterfront. While many of the banyan trees survived, a new infrastructure once again reshaped the landscape and Banyan Drive soon became the center of Hilo’s visitor industry.

By the 1970s, Banyan Drive was already established as the center of Hilo’s visitor industry. The Naniloa and the new Hilo Hawaiian, along with other new hotels, welcomed travelers from around the world, while nearby golf courses, parks, and public spaces drew both residents and visitors to the bay.

Although centuries of development had transformed nearly every part of the peninsula, places like Mokuola (Coconut Island) continued to preserve a connection to an older Hawaiʻi. The landscape may look different from the days of loʻi kalo, loko iʻa, and Kūakaʻananuʻu Heiau, but its mana cannot be erased.

Perhaps that is why, despite decades of change, stories continue to emerge from Banyan Drive, describing experiences that seem to be connected to a long-lost past. Former staff have mentioned doors of empty rooms rattling for no reason, and housekeeping staff talk of the water faucets in one of the rooms turning on by itself.

However, the scariest stories are the ones about a group of visitors who turn up during specific moon phases, without reservations. One security guard said it starts with the sound of drums. It’s distant, but the sound is a consistent beat that doesn’t change like modern music. As the drums get louder, a mist appears on the building’s mauka side and moves through the wall and the hotel rooms, exiting through the wall on the opposite end of the building on their way to the ocean.

“I know it’s not my imagination,” he said. “The lights dim and flicker, pictures on the wall shake or fall to the floor, sometimes the furniture moves.”

The guard said that the employees at the hotel know to make themselves scarce during that time, but no one really talks about it with each other.

Grand Naniloa Hilo

<title>Night Marchers at the Naniloa</title>

Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.

Night Marchers at the Naniloa

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

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 Smile: Friday, February 27, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Friday, February 27, 2026

Authors

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