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[{"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

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

Government & Politics

I have to give a shoutout to my mom for asking me if my driver's license needed renewal this year (it does!) because the appointments to do so are hard to come by.

They are, in fact, hard to come by. I just booked one yesterday for the Downtown Satellite City Hall and the earliest I could get was a July 7th appointment. In time, but barely.

[{"type":"text","text":"I also thought, \"What? Again? This is still a problem?\""}]

 out of that year's DMV disaster (pardon the paywall).

"Lines for the Department of Motor Vehicles are so ridiculously long that it’s been making the news — and I’ve been right there, trying to renew my driver’s license," I wrote at the time. "I’ve had a Hawai‘i driver’s license since about 1984. In my experience, renewing is a 20-minute job. Not any more."

What I found that year was people camped on the floors of satellite city halls, or in lines out into the parking lot of the main DMV in Kapalama. Part of the issue for everyone, the city included, was the need for all of us to present documents, which city clerks then had to review, to get the new "gold star" Real ID compliant driver's licenses. This was compounded when a city vendor lost tens of thousands of such documents. Those people had to go back again to resubmit their paperwork.

I ended up buying a camp stool to sit in line at the Kapalama service center before 6 a.m. There were 30 people ahead of me, and another 150 behind me when the doors opened at 8 a.m. But I did get a same-day appointment and a renewed drivers license 

Well, somehow eight years has gone by and the record number of driver's licenses that needed to be renewed in 2018 all need to be renewed in 2026. Nearly 

And the long waits for appointments are back. I'm a bit mystified by this. These should already be Real ID licenses, so there shouldn't be the same paperwork burden clogging up the works. The City & County of Honolulu, to its credit, started offering extended hours and Saturday appointments at selected satellite city halls and driver licensing centers back in January.

Some more permanent fixes seem in order, since this logjam seems like it's going to recur every eight years, like a cicada outbreak.

Why not give half these licenses a nine-year lifespan, so they come due in 2035 instead of 2034? 

[{"type":"text","text":"Or better yet, join the 36 states that let people simply renew online. "}]

Supposedly, we did that back in 2023, when Gov. Josh Green 

 Act 243, allowing online driver's license renewal. At the time, this change was said to take effect in 2025. But when you visit the City & County of Honolulu's 

 and look up, "How do I renew my Hawai‘i driver's license?" the answer is:

 to visit the Driver Licensing Center or select Satellite City Hall (Downtown, Hawaii Kai, Windward City, and Pearlridge) of your choice. Complete the 

, bring it and your current driver’s license and provide original documents that provide proof of identity, legal presence, social security number and two (2) proofs of principal address.  Names must be the same on all documents.  If you have a name change and the names on your documents are not the same, you must also submit the original document that verifies your name change (e.g. Marriage Certificate, Divorce Decree, Court Documents). For assistance with identifying acceptable supporting documents required to obtain a driver’s license, please consult our interactive 

(Confusingly, that makes it sound like you have to bring all those documents no matter what, but that contradicts the Aloha Q online booking process, which walked me to steps to determine that I already had a Real ID license and so didn't need to bring all those other documents with me.)

 isn't exactly a model of convenience. It requires drivers to submit a doctor's note no more than six months old that they've been examined and are physically cleared for driving, as well as a notarized statement that they don't have a license from another state or country. So, two in-person appointments you never needed before to avoid one in-person appointment with the DMV.

I checked in with the City & County of Honolulu on when the fully online option will be implemented on O‘ahu. 

Mid-2026 is the target date for O‘ahu residents to have the option to renew their Hawai‘i driver’s license online," said Acting Public Communications Administrator Harold Nedd, by email. "That timeframe coincides with the anticipated completion date of a comprehensive technology upgrade to the aging statewide system for processing driver’s licenses and state identification cards. The well-timed new system will make in-person visits to the DMV unnecessary to renew a driver’s license. It simply made better sense to complete the upgrade to the system for issuing driver’s licenses before making the online option for the service available to residents. We also took comfort in language in the state law that allowed the DMV leeway with its timetable for offering the online service to renew a driver’s license. All told, the ability to renew a driver’s license online is part of a comprehensive statewide effort that requires careful coordination of the city’s information technology resources."

In the meantime, if you're holding a rapidly expiring license, take my mom's advice. Visit the city's 

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Drivers license 16x9

<title>Pipikaula Corner: DMV déjà vu</title>

Have you heard about the long waits to renew your Hawai‘i drivers license? Does this all feel strangely familiar? Yes, it's been eight years since the Great Renewal Logjam and all those licenses are expiring at the same time. Editor A. Kam Napier has thoughts on all that plus an update on the promised online renewals.

Pipikaula Corner: DMV déjà vu

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 just opened in a bigger space. The Honolulu eatery — which used to be on the second floor of the Hee Hing Plaza — just opened in the first floor of the same plaza (in the former space of Growlers USA).

 that it would be relocating to the new space. 

The bigger space now has around 75 seats; we’re told this is 1.5 times the amount of seating the eatery’s former upstairs restaurant had.

It now also features both counter and table seating. Walk-ins only are currently accepted for April; when you get to the restaurant, sign in to join the waitlist.

Each table is given eggplant, pickled daikon and gobo. Customers can also choose a rice — seasoned mixed rice, shiso seaweed rice or Hokkaido brand Nanatsuboshi — and miso soup (red miso soup with either clam and green onions or tofu and seaweed; or white miso soup with clam and green onions or tofu and seaweed).

The menu is the same as before. Sets include premium Japanese rice, miso soup, cabbage and pickles. Signature options include the Jyukusei (aged) pork loin katsu sets ($32.50 to $38) and Jyukusei pork tenderloin katsu sets ($32.50 to $35).

The combo sets — ranging from shrimp and pork tenderloin katsu ($35) and shrimp and chicken katsu ($35) to mix katsu set ($36) — are also customer favorites.

Takeout orders are also available. Customer parking is available at Hee Hing Plaza.

Open 4 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays to Fridays; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 5 to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Tonkatsu Tamafuji shrimp and tenderloin katsu 041626

<title>Tonkatsu Tamafuji is now open in an expanded space</title>

The popular tonkatsu spot just opened on the first floor of Hee Hing Plaza (downstairs from its former location). The new space features 1.5 times the amount of seating, with both counter and table seating available. Tonkatsu Tamafuji is only accepting walk-ins for the month of April.

Tonkatsu Tamafuji is now open in an expanded space

Christian Zuckerman

Viewpoints

Aloha Spirit

With a dollar-for-dollar matching contribution of up to $100,000 from an anonymous donor secured by Aloha State Daily, as well as support from individual donors and partners, the Hawai‘i Farmers Union Foundation (HFUF) has launched the 

 to help Hawai‘i’s farmers and rural communities recovering from severe flooding. This critical assistance is already providing emergency relief and restoring farms and food access.

Last month, communities across Hawai‘i were devastated by Kona Low storms that brought heavy rains and high winds, causing millions of dollars in damage. Farmers were among the hardest hit. Initial reports by the Hawai‘i Farmers Union

 show a total of $23 million in damage spanning more than 380 farmers statewide; however, 

 the losses are likely tens of millions more.

In addition to losing crops and fertile topsoil, farmers are experiencing severe impacts such as flooded fields, and damaged homes and equipment. Recovering their upfront expenses in materials and labor will be difficult if not impossible – only a small fraction of Hawai‘i farmers have insurance for crop loss.

Importantly, the fund will support the long-term recovery of Hawai‘i’s local food systems, which have rapidly declined in recent years. Between 2017 and 2022, Hawai‘i has lost more than 700 farms, while approximately 90% of Hawai‘i’s food is imported.

“Farmers are experiencing real losses right now — from washed-out fields to damaged infrastructure — and they need support that moves quickly,” said Kirsten Ham, COO of the Hawai‘i Farmers Union and Foundation. “This matching effort helps us provide fast, unrestricted relief so farmers can begin rebuilding and continue feeding their communities."

Founded in 2010, the grassroots, member-driven nonprofit HFU advocates for the sovereign rights of family farmers, ranchers, and fishers to create regenerative and sustainable agricultural communities that benefit the people of Hawaiʻi through education, cooperation and legislation. HFUF, the sister organization, provides charitable and educational outreach.

The organization has long worked alongside community partners to support disaster response and recovery across Hawaiʻi. Following the Maui wildfires, HFU President Kaipo Kekona helped establish a community response hub through HFUF in West Maui that distributed over $10 million in critical supplies and thousands of pounds of fresh food to families in need.

Mahalo for helping us mobilize once again. Together, we can ensure Hawaiʻi’s farmers have the support they need to rebuild and continue feeding our islands.

To learn more and support Hawai‘i’s farmers, visit 

 To donate to the fund and have that donation matched by Aloha State Daily's donor, please visit its official 

All donations made to the foundation are tax deductible. Impacted farmers seeking support should contact 

Christian Zuckerman is the vice president of the Hawai‘i Farmers Union and CFO of the 

Lewaterra Farm

<title>Community Voices: Help Hawai‘i farmers recover</title>

An anonymous donor secured by Aloha State Daily will match dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000, donations made to the Hawai‘i Farmers Union Foundation's Hawai‘i Flood Response Fund.

Community Voices: Help Hawai‘i farmers recover

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Jonathan Wong, owner of O‘ahu Ace Handyman Services, wanted to make sure the franchise, which opened in mid-October, “was not a cookie-cutter, Mainland operation.”

Originally from the Islands, Wong says he knew that Hawai’i is “very different” in regard to the culture around starting and operating a business.

“I knew that it took a little bit more effort,” he told Aloha State Daily Friday. “And I know a lot of times, Mainland operations don’t understand that. It took a lot of working back-and-forth with the team, collaborating [to] understand how we can make this work specifically for the local communities. That’s really what I wanted to do. I wanted to not just make this, again, a cookie-cutter operation, but something that enabled people to get high-quality, trustworthy handyman services and also make good jobs. That’s really what I wanted.”

A part of the Ace Hardware family, this is Ace Handyman Services’ first franchise in the Hawai‘i. It offers just what you’d expect — handyman services across O‘ahu. Wong says they can do almost anything except jobs that requires a license or permitting, like full electrical, plumbing or HVAC work.

Some of the most common repairs and services the company provides include drywall repairs, flooring, painting, fixing fence posts and the installation of “grab” bars in showers, he notes.

Wong says he loved that Ace was “really open to the idea of creating something that was local,” and in understanding that in Hawai‘i, “we just kind of do things a little bit differently,” were willing to work with him on service offering and marketing perspectives.

Although Ace is a nationwide brand, Wong says it’s nice that there are “trusted Ace Hardware stores here,” which lends to the franchise’s credibility. A store locator identifies nearly two dozen Ace Hardware locations across the Islands.

The company’s O‘ahu Ace Handyman Services name also gives it a local feel. Wong says they hire people who live here and it’s run by a leadership team from Hawai‘i.

 kind of make us the best of both worlds."

Wong says the company is insured and bonded; background checks and drug tests are conducted on its craftspeople; a one-year warranty is offered on the work performed; is supported by the Ace brand name; and “we try to always respect people’s time.”

This isn’t Wong’s first entrepreneurial endeavor.

Wong, a Punahou School grad who majored in accounting and IT at Santa Clara University and received an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, worked on the Mainland for a number of years, including nearly a decade at First Republic Bank.

He returned to the Islands nearly two years ago and started Hele Logistics, which he says was the first locally owned Amazon delivery service partner to operate in Hawai‘i. That company now employs about 130 people.

When asked how he got involved with Ace Handyman Services, Wong says the “entrepreneur bug definitely kicked in.”

“I knew that I wanted to do more and be a part of another company, so that’s when the search really started.”

There were discussions with family trying to find people to do a variety of handy work.

“We just couldn’t find people to do simple-ish tasks.”

But a business school classmate — who does this in Oregon — tipped the scales.

Wong says he didn’t want to pursue just any opportunity, “because every place could use a lot of things. But it’s picking the right type of business, offering the right type of product [and] service that really makes the most sense, provides the most value and supports two ways — providing really good jobs and then as well as providing a needed service.”

Since opening, Wong says response has been good and they’ve been getting a number of repeat customers already.

His long-term vision is to expand to the Neighbor Islands, although there’s no timeline in place for such an expansion.

. You can also reach the office at 808-460-8338.

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Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

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