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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Judy Peckenpaugh on Kauaʻi. "The calm AFTER the storm."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

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<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: After the storm</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Judy Peckenpaugh on Kauaʻi.

Hawaiʻi Skies: After the storm

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Judy Peckenpaugh on Kauaʻi. &quot;The calm AFTER the storm.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

Ray Tsuchiyama

Columnists

Every weekday afternoon at 4:30, I pick up my granddaughter.

Sometimes while waiting in the parking lot, I answer an email from a Tokyo client. My work doesn't stop just because the school day is ending; it simply gets folded into whatever gap exists before 4:30.

Then it is time to pick up my granddaughter.

The contrast is almost comical. One minute I am updating escrow about a multimillion-dollar transaction; the next, I am fastening a child into her car seat, listening to who was “mean” to her and asking whether I have been a good “Jiji” today.

Yet there is a fundamental connection between the two, and it is not a small one. My being there at 4:30 makes it possible for her parents to stay at work.

I am part of Hawaiʻi's childcare system. I just don't show up in the childcare statistics.

That is not to say grandparents can replace preschool. Quite the opposite. I have never been more convinced of the difference between the two than I am now, watching early childhood education happen five days a week.

I see daily what preschool provides my granddaughter that I cannot. She talks about learning "A" for alligator. She says, “Good morning, how are you today?” respectfully to her teacher. She has learned to share toys and navigate relationships with her classmates.

These may sound like small things. They aren't. They are the essential building blocks of early social development and preparation for elementary school. Jiji is not going to lead a structured lesson on phonics or spelling. That is not a criticism of grandparents; it is an accurate description of what a classroom is actually for.

We must be careful not to confuse childcare with early education. They are distinct entities doing different work. Hawaiʻi's policy conversations should be honest about that distinction, rather than treating "somebody is watching the kids" as interchangeable with "somebody is teaching them."

At the same time, the two are inextricably linked. A family that cannot solve the first problem — supervision — never gets to benefit from the second — education. A child who needs supervision at 4:30 p.m. and cannot get it from a licensed, affordable after-school program does not simply do without. A grandparent, an aunt, or a neighbor absorbs the gap instead. And whatever early-learning or structured enrichment value a formal setting would have provided goes missing along with it.

This is where Hawaiʻi needs to start asking a different, broader set of questions about childcare.

When we talk about Hawaiʻi's childcare crisis, policy makers tend to count only what is easily visible: licensed centers, available slots, registered childcare workers, preschool enrollment, subsidies, and out-of-pocket costs. The state's Ready Keiki initiative, for instance, tracks its progress toward universal access for three- and four-year-olds largely through formal metrics — seats built, classrooms opened, and shrinking waitlists.

All of those metrics matter. None of it is wrong to count.

But what about the grandmother who watches a grandchild until a parent gets off a late shift? The aunt who takes care of two nieces every Wednesday? The hānai cousin who steps in when a parent's work schedule changes with two days' notice because the alternative is losing the job? 

What about the parents themselves — the ones who adjust their working hours, decline a promotion, or leave the workforce altogether because they cannot find care they can afford or 

These individuals are essential components of Hawaiʻi's childcare system. Yet much of this labor remains invisible. A family absorbing the gap through a grandparent or a neighbor never shows up on an official state waitlist. Statistically, that family looks like a household with no need at all.

Before we can solve this problem, we should determine the true scope of the system we already have. Imagine a comprehensive map of Hawaiʻi's entire early-childhood ecosystem — not just licensed facilities.

 How many are there? How old are they? Where do they live?

 Who takes care of them during the day, before and after school, on weekends, and during school holidays? Some will be in childcare centers or preschools. Many will be with grandparents, extended family, friends, or neighbors (“FFN”). Some parents will be attempting to do the work themselves, juggling split shifts or working from home with a toddler running around the living room.

 How many parents are working? How many could work more hours or take a higher-paying job if reliable childcare were accessible? How many have already reduced their hours or left employment altogether — a trend that appears consistently in statewide surveys and ripples outward to every local employer struggling to fill shifts or retain trained staff?

 Are the shortages identical in Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului, and Līhuʻe? A Neighbor Island shortage looks vastly different from an urban Oʻahu shortage — fewer providers competing for thinner margins, paired with longer travel distances between existing care and family homes.

 Even for a dual-income family, a median $1,000 to $1,300 monthly fee for licensed preschool represents a substantial hit to the household budget. What does formal care actually cost families? What does the state spend?

What is the economic value of all the unpaid care that families currently provide on their own?

That last figure is astronomical. Suppose Jiji provides two hours of childcare a day, five days a week, for 50 weeks a year. That is 500 hours a year. At $20 an hour, that equates to $10,000 worth of care. At $25 an hour, it reaches $12,500. Multiply that across tens of thousands of families statewide — grandparents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors all stepping up at 4:30 p.m. — and the value of Hawaiʻi's invisible childcare workforce runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. It is an economy quietly sustained by free kūpuna labor.

Beyond the direct hours, there is an additional layer of economic value: the parent who can hold down a job because Auntie Leilani is available. That is a paycheck earned, taxes paid, and a local business that does not lose a valued employee to a coverage gap.

Our informal care network is currently subsidizing Hawaiʻi's entire labor market — for free, indefinitely, and with no guarantee that it will still be there for the next generation.

Childcare is not simply a social service or a favor rendered by loving relatives. 

Before We Subsidize: Mapping Hawaiʻi’s Childcare Care Economy

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ay Tsuchiyama’s series explores one central question: How does Hawai‘i use the wealth and land it already has to create its next economic future? He can be reached at 

Grandparent with child i Stock 2161371957

<title>Hawaiʻi’s Invisible Childcare Subsidy: Free Kūpuna Labor</title>

In the first of a two-part series, ASD columnist Ray Tsuchiyama explores the economics of the childcare crisis in Hawai‘i, including the dimensions we're not talking about, but should.

Hawaiʻi’s Invisible Childcare Subsidy: Free Kūpuna Labor

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Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

The woman charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting a man in Kailua last weekend was turned in by her father the day of the event, according to a Honolulu police report.

Hilinaikailimakualopali Keeno, 24, was charged on Sept. 30 with second-degree murder, carrying a firearm in the commission of a felony and improperly keeping a pistol or revolver. She is being held pending a $1 million bail.

An HPD document — which was submitted on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to the Honolulu Circuit Court to establish probable cause to detain Keeno without a warrant — states that Keeno’s father brought her to the Kailua Police Station less than an hour after 

was declared dead of a gunshot wound to the neck in the Kailua Target parking lot.

The report states that HPD special duty officers, who were working security at the Kailua Fall Festival that day, were called to assist with a group of festivalgoers involved in an argument at about 8:26 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Officers escorted the group out of the festival and watched them head toward the Target parking lot, only to hear another altercation begin among the group minutes later.

During this new altercation, a pop resembling a gunshot was heard, and officers saw two men — one of whom was Keeno’s brother — assaulting a third. Both assailants were placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, while officers discovered Malone on the ground, covered in blood.

[{"type":"text","text":"Malone was declared dead at the scene by 8:43 p.m."}]

At 9:39 p.m., Keeno was brought to the Kailua Police Station by her father, who told police she was involved in the incident and wanted to provide a statement in the presence of her attorney.

According to the HPD report, no interview was conducted with Keeno that night. Subsequently, HPD sought photographs and videos from the public to help piece together the event and identify the shooter.

On Sept. 28, another witness identified Keeno as the shooter, and HPD confirmed that Keeno has one firearm registered in her name, a Sig Sauer P365 handgun.

[{"type":"text","text":"Following this, Keeno was placed under arrest."}]

Keeno’s preliminary hearing, when she will plead guilty or not guilty to the charges, will take place Monday, Oct. 5. She remains in custody.

Hpd 16x9

<title>Woman charged in Kailua shooting turned in by father</title>

Hilinakailimakualopali Keeno faces a $1 million bail for a second-degree murder charge.

Woman charged in Kailua shooting turned in by father

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

’s newest location near the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa opened today. This store marks the 

; it’s on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street.

The University store — which is about 2,300 square feet — is CU Hawai

i’s second-largest location (behind its 

). The University store will be open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Similar to the Downtown Honolulu store, the University store will feature CU Hawai

i’s ramyun library wall with in-store cookers, exclusive Korean and local snacks, customizable drinks, popular onigiri, and more.

i’s signature DIY smoothie machine and slushy machine. Smoothies come in flavors like strawberry banana, mixed berry, acai and mango banana kale. 

The University store will also feature new, exclusive products that aren’t offered in other CU Hawaiʻi stores, including CU Hawai

i socks and other merch, BTS figurines and Kendama.

To celebrate the University store’s opening, customers can enjoy free onigiri, sandwiches and product giveaways from Oct. 1 to 7. Prizes include CU goodie bags with treats, limited-edition collectible CU characters and more. For examples, customers with student ID can get free onigiri tomorrow, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until sold out). On Saturday, Oct. 3, customers will receive a free CU goody bag with any purchase. From Oct. 1 to 7, customers can take advantage of a BOGO musubi offer (buy one, get one free).

[{"type":"text","text":"All giveaways are while supplies last (limit one free item per purchase)."}]

Customers can also take advantage of month-long specials at this location, including $1.99 triangle gimbap and $4.99 katsu sando with fountain drink (or ice cup) combo.

[{"type":"text","text":"Limited customer parking is available at this location."}]

CU Hawaii University blessing 100126

<title>CU Hawaiʻi opens new store by UH Mānoa</title>

The new store — on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street — is the brand’s fifth location in Hawaiʻi. The University store is CU Hawaiʻi’s second-largest location; to celebrate its opening, customers can look forward to free onigiri, sandwiches and product giveaways from Oct. 1 to 7.

CU Hawaiʻi opens new store by UH Mānoa

The Washington man charged with throwing a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal earlier this year can travel somewhat more freely now.

 in May with violating the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act by allegedly hurling a rock at an endangered monk seal on a Maui beach, narrowly missing the animal’s head.

Lytvynchuk was released on a $25,000 bond with several conditions in May. Those conditions restricted his travel to only the Western District of Washington — which covers Washington west of the Cascade Mountains — and O‘ahu, although he was only permitted to travel to the island for court purposes, and was prohibited from accessing any beaches while in the state.

However, at a status conference last week — at which Lytvynchuk was not physically present — Lytvynchuk’s travel restrictions were loosened to allow for work-related travel within Washington.

An agreement signed by Magistrate Judge Rom Trader now allows Lytvynchuk to travel within the full state of Washington. While he is only allowed to travel to O‘ahu for court purposes, with any travel to the island to be approved in advance by the court’s probation office, the restrictions do not mention any requirement to avoid beaches or marine animals.

While the status conference also established a trial date of Nov. 16, Lytvynchuk’s attorneys filed a motion Monday requesting that date be postponed to an unspecified date in 2027 for multiple reasons.

In particular, Lytvynchuk’s attorney’s are seeking to subpoena evidence from Delta Airlines — the airline he used to travel from Seattle to Maui — about whether the airline made any announcements or advisories regarding Hawaiian monk seals, endangered species or any prohibited actions on Lytvynchuk’s flight.

In addition, Lytvynchuk’s attorneys have outstanding requests with the state Attorney General, Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regarding records of previous Hawaiian monk seal-related investigations.

Those records are intended to investigate “whether similarly situated persons accused of comparable conduct involving Hawaiian monk seals were treated differently from [Lytvynchuk]” and whether any differences in treatment indicate that Lytvynchuk’s right to equal protection is begin impeded, according to the motion filed Monday.

In any case, the subpoena and outstanding records requests are unlikely to be resolved in time for a November trial date, hence the request for a postponement.

Whether that request is granted will be determined at a hearing on Oct. 13. Lytvynchuk will also not appear in person at that hearing.

Screenshot 2026 05 13 at 3 19 31 PM 16x9

<title>Travel restrictions eased for man accused of throwing rock at monk seal</title>

Igor Lytvynchuk can travel throughout Washington state again, although is still barred from Hawai‘i save for court business.

Travel restrictions eased for man accused of throwing rock at monk seal

Daily Smile

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<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026</title>

"I have plans tonight, sorry..."

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026

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Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

Aloha Spirit

Public archives are known for documenting land and genealogy, but Hawaiʻi State Archivist Adam Jansen said Hawaiʻi State Archives does much more than that. 

Archives Month, a month-long virtual exhibition that begins on Thursday, Oct. 1, highlights the archives’ special collections that people might not know about. The month will explore how Waikīkī is represented in art and music, and has changed over time through a virtual exhibition. Some of the material has never been displayed online before.

The first week of Archives Month focuses on 19th century history of Waikīkī, including the first known map of the area documented by a Russian expedition. The second week looks at the representation of Waikīkī in art and music and the third week is all about Waikīkī hotels. The fourth week is about the development of Waikīkī, featuring photos from the Williams Family’s collection of construction projects between Chinatown and Waikīkī. The last week focuses on the conservation of Waikīkī with the display of the personal files of Nancy Bannick, who advocated to preserve Oʻahu’s historical places.

Archives Month material will be available on the 

is open to the public between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays,

 will also post daily on their social media pages.

Jansen said that not everyone has the availability and ability to visit the archive in person, so celebrating Archives Month virtually makes the archive more accessible and equitable. More Kānaka Maoli live on the 

 than on the Islands, and Jansen said that the archive hopes to help Native Hawaiians maintain connection to the ʻāina.

The archive “collects, preserves and makes available to the public

” government records and special collections. 

Making records available to the public is at the core of Jansen’s role as State Archivist.

“We can protect by putting things in a vault and locking the vault door. We’ve preserved it. But our founding legislation is to preserve arrange, describe and make accessible,” Jansen said. “It does not belong to us, it belongs to the people, so providing them access to their documentary heritage in a format than they can use, appreciate, enjoy is incredibly important to our overall goal and mission.”

He pointed to the Hawaiian proverb “I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope,” which means “the lessons of the past are the keys to the future.”

Jansen said, “He who controls the record controls history, controls knowledge, controls power, and as the public archives, we need to make sure everybody has that, that no one person controls it.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Meet the State Archivist"}]

Jansen doesn’t have a favorite item or collection at the archive but said that Queen Lili‘uokalani donating her 

which includes her diaries, draft constitution, letters and more 

inspires and drives him to do more to support the people of Hawaiʻi. The archive has digitized approximately 24,000 documents as part of the queen’s collection.

“She entrusted us with her most intimate words because she wanted us to share her voice with everybody for generations to come,” he said. “How can we pay back that faith and trust that she placed in us?”

The Hawaiʻi State Archives is also home to 

Jansen said that there’s still “societal angst regarding overthrow and annexation” and generational trauma.

“We have records dealing with that time period that need to be more globally understood, so when these discussions happen, everybody is starting from the same foundational knowledge of the words from the people who were there shaping that history,” he said.

Jansen said that he took an atypical path to his career as an archivist. He originally planned to major in chemical engineering but changed his mind halfway through college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“I quickly learned that while I had a deep love of science and math, the concept of working in a small lab with two other people and no windows for the rest of my life really didn’t appeal to me,” he said.

He decided to get his bachelor’s in history instead. The university librarian asked him, “if you love history so much, why don’t you think about protecting it?”

Jansen went on to work in information management at Microsoft and UNOVA. He served as the Deputy State Archivist for the State of Washington, where he managed the Washington State Digital Archives while earning his Master of Science from Eastern Washington University in Business Administration and Computer Science, and later obtained his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia School of Library, Archival and Information Studies.

Jansen moved to Hawaiʻi in 2013 to consult the Hawaiʻi State Archives on digitization and fell in love with the state and spirit of aloha. He stepped into the role of State Archivist in April 2016 and now oversees a team of about 20 staff.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he said.

The people have kept Jansen passionate about his work, and he sees archives changing lives daily.

Jansen remembers an aunty in tears looking at the microfilm readers who had told him that she found the land record that her grandmother had signed, making it the first time she’d ever met her tutu.

“The impact that I see that these primary sources can make in (people’s) lives is absolutely irreplaceable,” he said.

Hawaiʻi State Archives has been upgrading its hardware to photography equipment over the last five years to improve digitization efforts. According to Jansen, the archive has digitized approximately 1% of their collection. As they make progress digitizing records, people continue to donate materials.

Hawaiʻi State Archives is developing artificial intelligence to increase accessibility of public hearings and aims to roll it out by the end of the year, Jansen said. The system will transcribe thousands of hours of hearings into a system researchers can search.

“We understand some of the fears and limitations and dangers of AI, so we are very cognizant of the fact that our language model that we are using, all of the AI tools are only on the corpus that we give it,” Jansen said. "It knows nothing about the grand universe beyond. It’s not finding anything other than those hearings and the documents we give it.”

Waikiki songbooks

<title>'Archives change lives': Archives Month kicks off this week</title>

The Hawaiʻi State Archive kicks off American Archives Month on Thursday with a five-week long virtual program about Waikīkī. Aloha State Daily sat down with State Archivist Adam Jansen to learn more.

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Hawaiʻi Skies: After the storm

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