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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"The Three Stooges..."}]

Smile 26 3 5

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

The Three Stooges...

Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

Two military officers stationed in Hawai‘i have been busted this week for sexually exploiting children.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawai‘i Ken Sorenson announced Tuesday that 22-year-old Rumaldo Valdez, former Navy petty officer, was sentenced to 97 months in prison for the possession and promotion of child pornography.

The following day, Sorenson announced a conviction in a separate, unrelated case: 44-year-old Ross Andrew Brown, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, was convicted on two counts each of attempted sexual enticement of a minor, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and attempted receipt of child pornography.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Valdez"}]

In the Valdez case, the FBI was first alerted to his reported activities in 2021, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children submitted a tip that several people were using a Discord server to produce and share child sexual abuse material.

According to a criminal complaint, a confidential source on that server told the FBI that one user — operating under variations of the username “Duck” — had coerced an underage girl into sending him a sexually explicit video, which “Duck” then used to blackmail the girl.

The source claimed “Duck” had thus manipulated the girl into cutting the word “duck” into her arm, which she filmed. “Duck” then shared the video online — the FBI special agent who wrote the criminal complaint stated that participants in such child exploitation rings often use such media, called “fansigns,” as “trophies.”

“Duck” had also previously been tied to an online group called “Greggy’s Cult,” a ring of people that produced and distributed similar material before seemingly disbanding around 2021.

In any event, the FBI had linked “Duck” to Valdez through his IP address and Discord email by 2024. In May of that year, agents seized his computer and hard drives from the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific in Wahiawā.

On Valdez’s hard drives agents found several encrypted files containing child pornography, including at least one involving the murder of an infant and multiple depicting a toddler being tortured.

Elsewhere on Valdez’s drives, investigators found multiple images and videos of children displaying variations of the “Duck” username.

Valdez pled guilty in October 2025 to possession of child porn. Much of the court documents surrounding his case are sealed to the public; however, a sentencing memorandum by his defense attorney argued that Valdez was a minor when he began his activities — only 15 or 16 when he first became involved in “Greggy’s Cult” — and that he had joined the Navy “to get away from the destructive online extortion that he was involved in and tried to build a productive future for himself.”

Nonetheless, Valdez was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

“Let Valdez’s sentence serve as a warning to any other depraved and sadistic individuals who seek to harm and exploit children – there is nowhere for you to hide, no corner of the internet you will not be found, and no stone we will leave unturned to bring you to justice,” Sorenson said in a statement.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Brown"}]

Meanwhile, Brown’s arrest came following a sting by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division.

According to a criminal complaint, a CID agent posed as a 14-year-old girl in 2023 using the now-defunct anonymous social media app Whisper. The agent’s posts prompted responses by a user who was eventually identified as Brown.

During their online conversations, Brown repeatedly made sexual comments toward the agent, believing that he was flirting with a 14-year-old.

Eventually, they made plans to meet in person in April 2023 at Schofield Barracks. The agent requested Brown bring a specific type of gum, and Brown dutifully bought the gum en route, without knowing he was being surveilled. CID arrested him promptly at the rendezvous point.

At a trial in February, Sorenson presented 38 other sexually explicit conversations between Brown and people presenting themselves as girls as young as 12 years old, including explicit images purportedly of minors. At least one of those conversations involved Brown unsuccessfully attempting to meet with a 15-year-old girl for sex at an airport hotel in 2021.

While a jury found Brown guilty of six out of the 17 charges against him, he will not be sentenced until June 23. He remains in custody, despite several motions by his attorneys for his release.

“It is a profound breach of trust to both our military community and the public we serve, when a senior military officer commits crimes that exploit the vulnerable,” said CID special agent in charge Ruben Santiago in a statement.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Courtfed

<title>Two military officers busted for child sex exploitation</title>

A Navy petty officer and an Air Force lieutenant colonel have been respectively sentenced and convicted for sexually exploiting minors online.

Two military officers busted for child sex exploitation

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, vividly remembers serving tacos on a street corner in Waikīkī back in 2011.

“I started a little taco stand from 2011 to 2015,” he says. “I was in Waikīkī, making tacos from midnight to 4:30 in the morning. And sometimes I would stay there until 5 a.m.; I would take a lot of food with me.

“(Before that,) I was waiting tables and bartending in Vegas,” he adds. “When I moved to Hawai

i, I had to open my business to make the same amount of money. I opened in Kalihi Valley in 2015 on Cinco de Mayo.”

Since the business’s original Kalihi store opening, it has expanded. Alvarado had a Kapahulu location for a few years — “from 2020 to 2023,” he says — and opened in Pearl City. The biz recently opened its third Oʻahu location in the former spot of Pauoa Chop Suey.

“This one is in the neighborhood, so it’s really nice that people can walk here,” Alvarado says. “A lot of people have such long-lasting memories of Pauoa Chop Suey. They’re very acceptant of us; we appreciate how warm and welcoming everyone has been. I tell them, ‘I know we have some big shoes to fill, but I’m confident my feet are bigger!’”

As soon as you walk into the restaurant, the eatery’s new Los Angeles Dodgers-inspired mural is immediately eye catching.

“(For the mural) I already knew what I wanted,” Alvarado says. “I wanted to feel like I’m going right into Dodger Stadium, and all of my favorite players had just won back-to-back World Series.

“This is a big space,” he adds, regarding the restaurant’s size. “It’s kind of bigger than what we need, but it’s nice to space some things out. Now we have more dining (seating). We had that at Kapahulu, but we don’t really have that at Kalihi.”

The menu across all three stores is mostly the same, but the Pearl City and Pauoa locations also feature churros (two for $7) and nacho fries. Nacho fries ($15) are loaded with nacho cheese, shredded cheese, beans, onions, cilantro, sour cream, jalapenos, olives, pico de gallo and salsa verde, according to Alvarado. Customers can also add a protein of their choice for a supplemental charge.

“I love the nacho cheese; I have it on the menu because I like it,” Alvarado says.

Tacos are available as three-taco combo plates — which include three tacos, rice, beans and a fountain drink — or a la carte (prices vary, depending on the protein). Five-inch corn tortillas are filled with a protein of your choice, onions, cilantro and salsa verde. Choose from carnitas, beef, chicken, carne asada or a veggie (rice, beans, cheese, onions, cilantro, pico de gallo and salsa verde) option.

The three-taco combo plate — along with the eatery’s wet burrito combo plate — are the two most popular dishes, according to Alvarado.

“For the meat choice, carne asada — the steak — is the most popular,” he says. “My personal favorite is the carnitas — the crispy, shredded pork.

“The aim is to make it like a hash brown,” he says. “You crispy it up, so that when it gets to you, it has a little crispy texture and it’s still moist. There’s a little squeeze of lime on all the tacos. It gives it this nice freshness.”

The wet burrito combo plate ($17.50-$19, depending on protein) features a 10-inch burrito with cheese, onions, cilantro, olives and your protein of choice. It’s finished with red enchilada sauce, more shredded cheese and sour cream.

“I do the carne asada wet burrito with half carnitas, so it’s both steak and pork in the same (one); that’s my jam,” Alvarado says.

The menu also features regular burritos, quesadillas, macho burritos —with 12-inch flour tortillas — Mexibowls (bowls with rice, beans and a variety of toppings) and nachos.

As the new store gets more settled, Alvarado says customers can look forward to specials, and he is optimistic about the new year. 

“I’ve been doing it (the business) since 2011 and the restaurants have been since 2015, but my workers make it all happen," he says. "I have veterans that moved over (from the Kalihi store to the Pauoa store) and everyone’s willing to take on a little more responsibility. That’s the most precious part — the growth — and everybody being a part of it. One person doesn’t make this; it’s the whole team. We’re as good as our weakest link, and we don’t have any weak links!”

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays (closed Sundays). 

[{"type":"text","text":"Limited customer parking is available in the lot behind the restaurant."}]

Open 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays

Customer parking available in the lot behind the restaurant

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Alejandros Pauoa owner 030326

<title>Alejandro’s Mexican Food opens in Pauoa</title>

This is the third location for the business, which opened its first store in Kalihi Valley in 2015. Customers can look forward to tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nacho fries and more.

Alejandro’s Mexican Food opens in Pauoa

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Just past the Wailua River on Kaua‘i is the area we now know as Waipouli. Today, visitors driving along Kūhiō Highway see familiar hotels, shops, and restaurants, but long before the first resort was built, this shoreline was very different. Early maps and historical reports refer to this area as Kololoku or Kaloloku Swamp.

When excavations were conducted in the Waipouli coastal zone, researchers uncovered layers of shells, midden (ancient refuse piles), charcoal, fire-cracked rocks, prehistoric artifacts, and even human burials beneath the sand and soil. The presence of these layers shows us that Waipouli was not an empty wilderness before modern development arrived. It was part of a lived and worked Hawaiian landscape, connected to the broader ahupua‘a system that stretched from the mountains to the sea. Families lived here, farmed here, and gathered resources from both land and ocean for generations.

By the early 20th century, drainage projects, road construction, and commercial agriculture gradually reshaped the marshy ground. As Hawai‘i became an international tourism destination, land use on outer islands like Kaua‘i began to shift. Hotels and restaurants began to pop up along the island coast, forever changing the landscape.

In 1972, the Plantation Hale condominium complex was constructed near the Waipouli shoreline. Designed as a low-rise resort property surrounded by tropical landscaping, Plantation Hale reflected the emerging visitor industry that would soon define much of the Kapa‘a coast.  

As modern buildings rose above the former wetlands, the deeper history of the land remained beneath the surface. Visitors strolling the grounds or walking the nearby shoreline may see only the quiet beauty of coconut trees and ocean breezes, but hidden beneath the soil is a far older story. Of course, with a place that holds so many layers of history, it should come as no surprise that Waipouli has gathered more than just stories of land and people.

Over the years, residents, workers, and visitors in the Waipouli area, including those who have stayed at Plantation Hale, have occasionally shared strange experiences that are difficult to explain. Perhaps it is only the imagination stirred by the rustling palms and the sound of the ocean after dark. Or perhaps, as some quietly suggest, the past has a way of lingering in places where life once thrived. And it is here that the story takes an unexpected turn.

In the late 1990s, I was part of a traveling theater show that performed at venues across O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, and Hawai‘i Island. For our first Kaua‘i show, our troupe flew into Līhu‘e and was able to check in to Plantation Hale earlier than scheduled. Everyone was hungry and decided to drop off their things before going to find a place to sit and eat. I, on the other hand, decided to stay behind and take a short nap.

I was sharing the one-bedroom suite with another cast member and decided to let them stay in the room. It felt like too much work to pull out the bed from the small sofa, so I just grabbed a pillow and stretched out on top of it. I had just begun to drift off when I suddenly felt as if someone else was in the room.

Opening my eyes, I saw a dark-skinned Hawaiian man standing over me. He wore only a malo, and in his hands he held a large, gnarled piece of wood that looked like some kind of weapon. Before I could even jump up or move away, he vanished right in front of me. Instinct took over. I bolted out of the room and into the hallway.

As I rushed out, I nearly collided with a middle-aged Filipino woman pushing a large cleaning cart. She looked startled by my sudden appearance, but I quickly told her what I had just seen. She glanced at me, then at the room number on the door behind me.

“Oh,” she said casually, waving her hand as if brushing away a fly. “Not supposed to use this one, I tell you. I will tell the front desk to switch you to another room.”

Later, we learned that the room we had briefly occupied had a reputation. Staff quietly said it was haunted by spirits from Hawai‘i’s ancient past, who were known to appear to new occupants at all hours of the day and night. For that reason, it was the one room on the property that was never supposed to be rented.

As many times as I’ve been back, I’ve never stayed in that room again, and I don’t want to upset the staff by asking about it. I’m still curious, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep in there.

Plantation Hale Suites Kapaa

<title>The spirit at Plantation Hale</title>

The Kaua‘i area now known as Waipouli was formerly known as Kololoku or Kaloloku Swamp, a former wetland where Native Hawaiians once thrived. For half a century it's been developed for modern tourism, but the spirits remain and make themselves known.

The spirit at Plantation Hale

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Already thinking about the weekend? Aloha State Daily is here to help you make plans for the entire ʻohana. From live music at First Friday at Capitol Modern on Friday, March 6, to free admission to ʻIolani Palace for kamaʻāina on Sunday, March 8, there are lots of events on Oʻahu this weekend.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"FRIDAY, MARCH 6"}]

 has open a new spot in Downtown Honolulu. The new location at 700 Bishop Street — next to Komala Curry and in the same building at Bar Leather Apron — offers bentos and musubi, as well as chicken katsu. 

Watch the Ballet Hawaiʻi Performing Ensemble. 

The Ballet Hawaiʻi Performing Ensemble will share classical and contemporary ballet in these performances, which run Friday through Sunday, at the Ballet Hawaiʻi Honolulu Studio. Tickets are $24. 

Listen to music at First Friday at Capitol Modern. 

Enjoy live music from Keahi Delovio and Aolani and browse art galleries at Capitol Modern, the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. This family-friendly event starts at 5 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. Performances start at 6 p.m. There will also be opportunities to purchase food. Free. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, MARCH 7"}]

Back by popular demand, this all-women captain and crew will set off on a two-hour whale watching cruise. Complimentary Irish coffee or mimosas, as well as non-alcoholic refreshments, are available. The whale watching trip is a collaboration between Honolulu Snorkel Co. and Oʻahu Boat Cruises. The boat departs at 7:45 a.m. from Kewalo Basin Harbor. Tickets cost $45 plus fees and taxes. 

Paddle at Kualoa/Hakipuʻu Canoe Festival. 

The event is organized by the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation along with a number of nonprofits including the 

Polynesian Voyaging Society, which operates Hōkūleʻa

. The festival starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at Kualoa Regional Park. There will be lots of hands-on activities, including a chance to jump in and paddle. 

, the education director for the PVS, shared some of the activities that ocean-goers of all ages can participate in at the one-day festival. 

This Vinyasa yoga session is donation-based or free. All levels are welcome. Bring a mat and towel to the Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, MARCH 8"}]

Mele Haliʻa: Maelia Carter & Ka Pā Hula O Ka Ua Noe O Waʻahila

. Kumu Hula Maelia Carter brings her award-winning hālau, Ka Pā Hula O Ka Ua Noe O Waʻahila, to the Waikiki Beach Walk stage. Watch the performance at 5 p.m. Free. 

 Kamaʻāina are invited to take a free tour of ʻIolani Palace, available in English or ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.  Enjoy hands-on activities such as lauhala weaving with Keoua Nelsen and Kōnane lessons. There are also opportunities to make a floral kūpeʻe with Maxeen Shea and more. Naomi Nascimento will offer lauhala earring workshops at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sign-ups for those workshops start at 8:30 a.m. at the Kīnaʻu Gate on Richards Street. There will also be performances from Hālau O Nā Pua Kukui with Kumu Hula Ed Collier, Ke Kula Kaiaupuni ʻo Ka Waihona o ka Naʻauao and ʻOhana Krug

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

First Friday at Capitol Modern.

<title>Live music, whales and yoga: Your guide to this weekend</title>

Wondering what to do on Oʻahu this Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Aloha State Daily did the research, so you can plan weekend adventures. Ready for live music? Head to Capitol Modern. Want to get out on the water? Try whale watching or canoe paddling.

Live music, whales and yoga: Your guide to this weekend

AKINA portrait 2

Keliʻi Akina

Government & Politics

Viewpoints

Hawai‘i’s emergency management law has some critical flaws.

Namely, what constitutes an emergency is up to just one person — the governor — who also has wide latitude to address those declared emergencies by indefinitely suspending whatever laws he or she thinks are getting in the state’s way of responding to them.

The Covid-19 lockdowns highlighted this problem. But it has become even more apparent as we have seen an expanded use of 

 to address issues such as homelessness, housing affordability, even the overpopulation of axis deer in Maui County.

It doesn’t matter whether one agrees with the governor’s orders. The problem is that using emergency proclamations to bypass the legislative process — and being able to renew them indefinitely — undermines the constitutional authority of the Legislature, which is supposed to be the voice of the people. 

Moreover, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court has 

 to denounce this expansive definition of “emergency” because of how the state’s emergency management law is written. 

So, in order to reign in the governor’s power to declare and extend emergencies, the Legislature needs to act.

Fortunately, there are bills still alive this session that propose much-needed reforms. 

 would redefine “emergency” in state law, with an emphasis on situations that can cause immediate danger and require timely action. A similar bill made it through both the House and Senate last year, but the details were never hashed out in conference committee, so it died.

, which would allow the Legislature and county councils to end declared states of emergency by vote. 

Those two bills also would prohibit the governor or any mayor from suspending open records laws during emergencies. 

The latter concern arose in 2020 at the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, when then-Gov. David Ige suspended Hawai‘i’s open-records rules — an extreme action that wasn’t taken by any other state governor.

The state Office of Information Practices, which is responsible for responding to public records requests, hasn’t taken a position on the merits of SB2151 or HB2236, but it did say in written testimony that the two-and-a-half-month suspension of Hawai‘i’s Uniform Information Practices Act in 2020 — and the subsequent, more-than-yearlong partial suspension of response deadlines — led to many parties experiencing “long delays” in receiving responses to their records requests. 

In other words, according to the OIP, the law during that time “did not fulfill its stated purpose of giving the public timely access to government records.”

The bills now being considered by the Legislature to rectify these abuses aren’t perfect, but they would significantly improve the situation by limiting one person’s expansive authority to declare and extend emergencies.

Establishing legislative oversight over those decisions would be a huge benefit for “we the people,” and I hope our 76-member Legislature agrees that such balancing of powers is needed.

I Stock 1455746827

<title>Community Voices: The hidden problem with emergency powers</title>

Bills currently before the Legislature would put some much needed restrictions on Hawai‘i's emergency powers law, which grant the governor and mayors extraordinary control with little accountability. They would also provide the Legislature with the means to end a declared emergency.

Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Authors

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