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ASD Staff

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Pushing through the week like..."}]

Smile 26 3 13

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, March 13, 2026</title>

Pushing through the week like...

Daily Smile: Friday, March 13, 2026

[{"type":"text","text":"I can't spot the difference, can you? "}]

Smile 26 10 23

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 23, 2026</title>

I can't spot the difference, can you?

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Gail Fujimoto on Oʻahu. "Sunset as the waves come crashing on the rocks for a magnificent shot!"

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

Gail Fujimoto 2

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Crashing waves</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Gail Fujimoto on Oʻahu.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Crashing waves

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

Real Estate

 took the helm of the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority some 15 years ago, he spent three months living at Mayor Wright Homes, a large and aging public housing community in the Kalihi Pālama neighborhood "just to see and feel what our tenants experience every day."

 has 364 public housing units in 35 two- and three-story walk-ups. Problems there have 

But on Oct. 22, ground broke on the first phase of a redevelopment project that leaders say will breathe new life into the community.

Ultimately, the existing 364 units will be replaced with nearly 2,450 new affordable and workforce homes, but work on phase 1A, which is underway now, will replace 64 units in eight buildings with 308 units in one tower.

"We have made a commitment then and to see today coming to fruition, it's just a dream, actually," 

, HPHA's executive director, told ASD ahead of the ground breaking and blessing ceremony Thursday. "We made few attempts in the past and they were not successful for a lot of reasons."

says the families affected by the phase 1A redevelopment have already been relocated, either within HPHA's public housing inventory or in the private market with the authority providing a Section 8 voucher and guaranteeing a right of return, as long as they remain in compliance.

The complete Mayor Wright redevelopment is anticipated to take about 10 years, but will depend on the availability of tax credits and funding, he says.

"We're ready," Ouansafi says. "We basically know what needs to be done. We have done all the necessary studies. Phase 1B, that's 258 units, it's already permitted, ready to go as well, so we're going to go as fast as the funding allows us to."

[{"type":"text","text":"What's changed in the 15 years since he's lived in Mayor Wright?"}]

The urgency, Ouansafi says, and, crucially, the governor's view on housing, "making it a health emergency and really opening a lot of doors that were closed to us. Then you have the Legislature that [has] made it a priority by providing some funding. We found the best developer. It seems like all the stars lined up."

"Mayor Wright has been in rough shape for decades and now we have a chance to breathe some new life into it," 

Honolulu City Council Member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents District 6, told ASD before the groundbreaking ceremony. "My focus is making sure the residents here, as well as the surrounding neighbors, are kept updated on the progress, so we're going to keep having community meetings and keep engaging with them.

"It's certainly exciting," he continued. "We've had a couple of community meetings ... over the past few years and I think it's time for a change, but again, we want to make sure that this project is going to be continuing to serve our low-income community, continuing to prioritize them, and I think it will."

When asked what he's hearing about the project from residents and neighbors, Dos Santos-Tam says there's "cautious optimism."

"Dramatic change is hard and having high rises here is going to be a dramatic change, but especially the longtime residents remember when Mayor Wright was really, really rough," he says. "Fifteen years ago, the residents here were 

 because they had no hot water. Now we have a chance to renovate it and bring in additional apartments that are definitely needed in the community, so I think the surrounding neighbors are looking at it cautiously, but with the realization that it is going to be an improvement over these low rises, which are 70-plus years old."

Gloria Castro has lived at Mayor Wright Homes for more than 40 years. She told ASD after the ground breaking that she was initially upset about the development, "but it's OK. We need more affordable housing for people because we need to get the people off the street."

Ouansafi, however, says residents of the community are excited and that the redevelopment is long overdue.

"Prior to my tenure, they were promised redevelopment; that didn't happen," he told ASD. "They're so excited. It's 70-year-old buildings, you can only maintain it so much. The infrastructure needs to be changed. We've been doing, for the last decade, the best we can [to] make it safe, decent and sanitary, but this takes it to the next level. This brings another 40 years worth of life, new atmosphere and, equal as important, is [we are] able to deconcentrate the poverty."

According to a presentation made earlier this year, the mixed-income community will include the one-for-one replacement of public housing units, affordable rentals, workforce housing and an affordable for-sale component, along with 50,000 square feet of community retail and services and more than 1.8 acres of parks, gathering areas and public open spaces. You can see that presentation 

"It's a start of a new community, a vibrant community, mixed-income community, and equally as important, [it is] providing not just roofs and walls, we're providing a space for children to do their homework. We're providing space for the communities to build new families, to have their own children, to raise good families. It's just very special."

 was joined by Gov. Josh Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and 

Highridge Costa Development Co. President Moe Mohanna and others for the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.

The redevelopment is part of the Ka Lei Momi Project, a statewide initiative to replace and create more than 10,000 affordable hosing units at nine public housing properties across the Islands.

Highridge Costa was tapped to be the master developer for Ka Lei Momi 

. HPHA and Highridge Costa received approval from the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting to move forward with the Mayor Wright redevelopment in 

"The state of Hawai‘i should be very proud. City and County of Honolulu should be very proud," Mohanna told the crowd gathered Thursday. "This is an amazing team. This is an amazing achievement. Nowhere else in the nation has a state or a county or a government or a Legislature stepped up to take care of its people, to address affordable housing, to make it the No. 1 priority in every campaign. That is Hawai‘i. I am humbled to stand here, but I'm very proud to be part of this team."

(ICYMI: HPHA and Highridge Costa earlier this month celebrated the opening of another affordable housing development in Honolulu for seniors 55 and older, Ho‘ohiki Senior Living. Read more about that 

Mayor wright homes 1a groundbreaking 102226

<title>First phase of Mayor Wright Homes redevelopment breaks ground</title>

The transformation of the 70-year-old public housing community into a mixed-income neighborhood with more than 2,400 homes is underway. Phase 1A will deliver 308 new affordable rental homes.

First phase of Mayor Wright Homes redevelopment breaks ground

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

What happened to Waikīkī? Specifically, what happened to Waikīkī during its greatest period of change that began in the 1950s? Let’s look at these “then & now” comparisons of Waikīkī views to see very clearly how different things look today.

Why did Waikīkī change so much in the last 70 years? The growth of tourism, of course, was responsible. Speaking economically, it’s extremely fortunate that tourism did increase so dramatically during this period as it served to fill in the gap created as large-scale agriculture (sugar and pineapple) either contracted dramatically, or died altogether. These had been the foundation of the economy of the Hawaiian Islands but were outcompeted by other tropical countries, where workers were paid considerably less and thus their agricultural products were cheaper as well. This has been, and continues to be, the reason for the loss of domestic production in the United States and indeed worldwide.

When did Waikīkī's major changes begin? This is easy to pinpoint: it was the year 1955. That was when four new 10-story buildings were completed here; the Waikīkī Biltmore Hotel, the Princess Ka‘iulani Hotel, the Reef Hotel, and the Rosalei apartments. As insignificant as this would seem today, it marked a shift away from downtown as the focus of new construction, as well as starting Honolulu on its vertical growth.

We can also single out the shift in transportation for Waikīkī's increase in density, which was the replacement of cruise ships by airplanes for increasing numbers of tourists after World War II. While air travel grew significantly during the 1950s it was really the introduction of jets that kicked off the explosion. The first jets arrived in Hawai‘i in 1959, cutting hours from the trip from the west coast, carrying far more passengers on each flight compared to propeller planes and — most significantly — reducing air fares. Waikīkī couldn’t help but grow to accommodate all these new people. A major milestone was unexpectedly realized in late 1967 when the one-millionth tourist arrived for that year, ahead of what economists had predicted. There would be no looking back.

A change you might notice in these various pairs of Waikīkī views is the great increase in growing green vegetation today. This has been true in many parts of Honolulu and because trees increase so slowly in size, we don’t notice how large they’ve become until we see an older photo to be able to spot the difference. Kalākaua Avenue has benefitted from more than one improvement project since the 1960s, to where today’s sidewalks are paved with hand-set stones, many with inscriptions in Hawaiian. Shady shower trees along with grass and various shrubs greatly enhance the district’s appearance, and maintenance workers are on the job each day to sweep and clean. Waikīkī creates the biggest part of the income from tourism and its importance in keeping this income steady was recognized years ago — so this necessary work goes on.

By the late 1970s much of Waikīkī looked as it does today, because while more towers have certainly been constructed since then, much of what we know now was in place. Although Waikīkī has been a crowded and densely urbanized district for decades, and has been criticized for that, it must be said that a great many visitors enjoy this vitality and the over-abundance of things to see and do. And even while Waikīkī is undeniably a city of itself, it is still located on the magnificently blue Pacific Ocean, with the Ko‘olau Mountains as one backdrop and Diamond Head as another, with the trade winds often blowing through it. And love it or hate it, we owe our economy to it, and had therefore better make sure it continues to function as smoothly as possible.

1 Kuhio Ave 64 16x9

<title>What happened to Waikīkī?</title>

Back in the Statehood era, you could see Punchbowl from Kalākaua Avenue and Diamond Head from Kūhiō Avenue. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown pairs then-and-now photos to show the dramatic changes from a low-rise Waikīkī to today's bustling mini-metropolis.

What happened to Waikīkī?

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"There’s a new Mexican restaurant open in Honolulu."}]

 recently opened in Puck’s Alley, close to the University of Hawai

i at Mānoa. The restaurant’s original location is in ‘Ewa Beach.

The menu is the same as the one at the ‘Ewa Beach location. Customers can choose from tacos, quesadillas, burritos, birria dishes, enchiladas, nachos, chimichangas and more. There’s indoor seating, but the restaurant is popular for takeout.

Customers who dine in will receive complimentary chips and housemade salsa.

Speaking of chips — the eatery’s nachos are a popular appetizer. Choose from options like supreme nachos ($20.95) with carne asada and shrimp or Frida’s nachos ($19.95), which come with carne asada and chorizo.

Nachos usually come with toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, beans and cheese.

i offers a wide variety of burritos to choose from, including California burritos ($19.95), shrimp burritos ($21.95), and chile verde burrito plates ($22.95). The Diego grande ($23.95) is recommended for diners who want a little of everything, as this burrito is stuffed with carne asada, chicken, chorizo, rice, beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. It’s topped with green and red enchilada sauces.

Meat choices for the eatery’s taco plates and burritos include carne asada, chicken, pork, pastor, chorizo, ground beef and more. Corn taco plates ($18.95) comprise three tacos with your choice of meat; tacos are topped with onions and cilantro, and are served with rice and beans.

More traditional dishes range from tamales with red enchilada sauce ($16.95) and chile relleno ($16.95) to Frida’s fajitas ($29.95). The latter features a mix of carne asada, chicken, shrimp and chorizo grilled with onions and bell peppers; fajitas are served with tortillas, lettuce, guacamole and pico de gallo.

The restaurant offers indoor customer seating and is popular for takeout. Customer parking is available in the Puck’s Alley lot.

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays

Customer parking available in the Puck’s Alley lot

Fridas Honolulu staff with taco plate 101326

<title>Frida’s Hawaiʻi is now open in Honolulu</title>

The Mexican restaurant, whose original location is in ‘Ewa Beach, recently opened in Puck’s Alley, close to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The restaurant — open for dine-in and takeout — features an extensive menu; signature dishes include supreme nachos, super burritos and birria tacos.

Frida’s Hawaiʻi is now open in Honolulu

Business & Tourism

Outrigger Hospitality Group recently unveiled newly reimagined guest rooms at its original flagship location, Outrigger Waikīkī Beach Resort.

It's the first guest-facing milestone in a larger $100 million refresh that's underway to reimagine the resort as a "

design-led destination at the birthplace of modern surf culture," a recent announcement noted.

The new guest rooms were designed by PowerStrip Studio in collaboration with WCIT Architecture and DTL – a Hawaiian Strategy Studio.

According to the announcement, among other new design features, each room features "

," or "Beloved children are the plants," a custom mural of Queen Emma's lily garden by Native Hawaiian artist Kamea Hadar; room numbers are paired with surf photography by Zak Noyle; and "graphic rivulets inspired by ʻĀpuakēhau Stream" wind throughout the property.

Monica Salter, vice president of global communications and social responsibility at Outrigger, told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that the resort has 524 rooms across 17 floors, and every room is being redesigned. Room renovations began in April and all 524 rooms are expected to be finished by December, she says.

Outrigger Hospitality Group started the broader $100 million refresh of the resort 

"The guest rooms are just the first phase," Salter says. "We’ll have a grand arrival staircase that traces the path of ʻĀpuakēhau Stream, the freshwater stream that once ran from the Koʻolau Mountains to this shoreline, an open-air lobby framing Waikīkī and Diamond Head, a surfboard exhibit, cultural center and a newly expanded Voyager 47 Club Lounge, more than three times its former size. Work on our public spaces, pool and retail is ongoing. We’re now only offering newly renovated guest rooms and suites with the rest of the transformation to follow."

When asked why the hospitality group wanted to undertake the $100 million transformation now, Salter told ASD, "

This is where our story began — on the grounds of the original Outrigger Canoe Club, where Duke Kahanamoku helped introduce modern surf culture to the world. Sixty years later, we saw an opportunity to reinvest in this important place and honor that legacy while looking ahead. The transformation is grounded in the history and culture of Waikīkī, while creating a resort that reflects where Outrigger is headed."

The goal is to make the experience feel more connected to the place, she says.

"The design draws from the history of the site, from ʻĀpuakēhau Stream and Queen Emma’s garden to Waikīkī’s role in the origins of modern surfing. Those stories are reflected in details throughout the resort, from the arrival staircase and artwork to the guest room and corridor design," Salter say. "At the same time, the things that have made this resort a Waikīkī landmark remain: its beachfront location, cultural connections and longtime partners and experiences, including Faith Surf School, Blue Note Hawaiʻi and Henry Kapono’s Duke’s on Sunday performances. The physical spaces are being thoughtfully refreshed while preserving the character and sense of place that guests have long associated with Outrigger."

Outrigger got its start in 1947, when American architect Roy Kelley and his wife Estelle opened the 33-room Islander Hotel in Waikīkī, according to a 

, you'll find the Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort, Waikīkī Beach Resort, Waikīkī Beachcomber Hotel and Waikīkī Paradise Hotel; on 

 there's Outrigger Kā‘anapali Beach Resort and Honua Kai Resort & Spa; the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa is located on 

; and the Outrigger Kaua‘i Beach Resort & Spa is on the 

 across the Islands, and owns and operates resorts in Fiji, Thailand, Maldives and Mauritius. Find its portfolio of properties 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Enter to win"}]

To celebrate the new guest rooms, the resort has launched "

. The campaign asks people to share what they love about 

Share a photo or video and a short story online or by scanning QR codes on the property for a chance to win a grand prize that includes a three-night stay in a club ocean view room at Outrigger Waikīkī Beach Resort; round-trip airfare for two, provided by Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines; dinner for two at Duke's Waikīkī; and a canoe surf session for two with Faith Surf School. Entries are open through Nov. 16, with winners announced on Nov. 17.

Daily Smile: Friday, March 13, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Friday, March 13, 2026

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