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ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Dee Hall in Makakilo. "I took this picture from my son's home in Makakilo on Feb. 4. I love it because of the colors and because my granddaughter and I watched sunrises together before she went to school. I live in North Carolina and come to Oʻahu two or three times a year — I love being in Hawaiʻi!"

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<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Sunrise before school</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Dee Hall in Makakilo.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Sunrise before school

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Dee Hall in Makakilo. &quot;I took this picture from my son&#039;s home in Makakilo on Feb. 4. I love it because of the colors and because my granddaughter and I watched sunrises together before she went to school. I live in North Carolina and come to Oʻahu two or three times a year — I love being in Hawaiʻi!&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Daily Smile

During the nail trimming, one groundhog seems to have already accepted its fate… 

Smile 26 4 21

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, April 21, 2026</title>

During the nail trimming, one groundhog seems to have already accepted its fate…

Daily Smile: Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Screenshot 2026 04 20 at 10 30 23 PM

Richard Turbin

Viewpoints

 held its annual awards ceremony where women both in and out of the legal profession were recognized for their many contributions to our community. The gala was also an opportunity to look back on the organization’s influence in our state since its founding 50 years ago by Rai Saint Chu.

Chu, who started the organization in 1976 when there were only a handful of female attorneys in all of Hawaiʻi, was honored with HWL’s President’s Award. 

“I remember in the early days I’d come back to the office after being in court, and I would scream and shout about ‘judge so and so who complained about the length of my dress,’” said Chu, chuckling that she had a good audience at the public defender’s office.

Today, women make up nearly half of Hawai‘i’s lawyers and occupy leadership roles across the bench, bar and community. HWL played a central part in that transformation, as Chu’s vision was straightforward: improve the lives and careers of women attorneys, shape the future of the profession, elevate the status of women, and open equal opportunity for all. From the beginning, HWL mentored young lawyers, advocated in favor of family-friendly policies, and pushed for systemic change. It did more than host luncheons. It built a network that turned individual ambition into collective power.

Chu herself embodied the success she wanted for other young women. Admitted to the Hawai‘i bar in 1972 after earning her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Maryland, she began as a deputy public defender and Legal Aid attorney before entering private practice. She has tried more than 30 jury trials and hundreds of other proceedings, specializing in serious personal injury and medical malpractice on the side of plaintiffs. Yet her impact extended far beyond the courtroom. In 1978 she served as a delegate to the Hawaiʻi State Constitutional Convention, where she helped create the Judicial Selection Commission, the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. In 2009, she was elected president of the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association — the first woman of Asian descent to hold the office. She has chaired boards of the Girl Scout Council of Hawaiʻi, Junior League of Honolulu, and Planned Parenthood of Hawaiʻi, and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for women and children through the Hawaiʻi Women’s Legal Foundation.

On April 16, at HWL’s annual awards banquet in Waikiki, Chu accepted the President’s Award with characteristic grace. “To every young girl in Hawaiʻi with big dreams, stay focused and determined,” she told the audience. “Dream boldly, work steadily, and never doubt that your voice matters.” 

Those words, spoken half a century after she founded the group, still resonate. The organization’s current president, Alana Peacott Ricardos, put it best: HWL continues to carry forward the vision Chu set forth five decades ago.

That vision — equity, justice, and compassionate leadership — remains urgently needed. Yet the anniversary also invites celebration. A profession that once counted its women in the dozens now counts them in the thousands, and many of those women trace their inspiration, directly or indirectly, to the trailblazer who refused to wait for doors to open. Rai Saint Chu never asked for special treatment. She simply insisted that women receive the same chances she earned the hard way. Hawaiʻi Women Lawyers turned that insistence into an institution. Fifty years later, the results speak for themselves.

Rai Saint Chu 1

<title>Community Voices: Hawaiʻi Women Lawyers opens doors for generations</title>

The organization was started in 1976 by attorney Rai Saint Chu.

Community Voices: Hawaiʻi Women Lawyers opens doors for generations

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Lieutenant Gov. Sylvia Luke will leave office at the end of her current term after announcing she will not run for reelection.

Luke, who was elected in 2022, announced Sunday afternoon that she has decided not to run for a second term “after a long discussion with [her] family and close friends.”

A spokesperson for Luke told Aloha State Daily that she will take no questions on the matter beyond her 

 in a statement she released Sunday. That statement alludes to “difficulties” over the past three months that led to her decision.

“But the last three months have been difficult, making the rigors of campaigning exceptionally burdensome for my family,” Luke’s statement read. “While I have always been a fighter, I cannot tolerate the toll that they are paying.”

Luke did not specify what those “difficulties” are. However, on Feb. 9, she 

 that she may have been the mystery lawmaker who was recorded accepting a paper bag full of cash during a 2022 dinner.

, former state Rep. Ty Cullen — having turned FBI informant after being arrested for taking bribes — recorded a transaction at a 2022 dinner where an unnamed “influential legislator” accepted a paper bag full of money from an unidentified man.

In February, Luke said she did not take the bag full of money, but said she had accepted $10,000 in checks from a lobbyist and the lobbyist’s daughter, both of whom were associates of Cullen. She said she attempted to return the money after Cullen was charged and that she had failed to report those donations at the time.

Gov. Josh Green made his own brief statement saying he respects Luke’s decision.

“Sylvia’s service to the State of Hawaiʻi for more than two decades leaves no doubt how much she cares about the people of Hawaiʻi,” read Green’s statement. “These last three years, the LG has made great progress in helping our keiki get access to universal preschool, something that has helped many local families.”

Who will take Luke’s place is an open question. As of April 17, two people have requested nomination forms to be placed on the ballot as a lieutenant governor candidate: Mike Peacock, running as a Democrat, and Ku Lono “Bobby” Cuadra, who has pulled papers to run as a Democrat, Republican and Libertarian, and to run for multiple state and U.S. representative seats. ASD has reached out to Peacock and Cuadra for comment.

[{"type":"text","text":"Prospective candidates have until June 2 to file nomination papers."}]

Lg sylvia luke 2025 portrait2 54839406086 o Large 16x9

<title>Sylvia Luke not running for reelection</title>

Lieutenant governor seat up for grabs in upcoming election.

Sylvia Luke not running for reelection

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Following back-to-back Kona Low storms in March that brought heavy rains, wind and flooding, Isle communities are moving toward recovery and rebuilding at the sight of blue skies this week.

Aloha State Daily rounded up some more organizations and causes that are directly supporting individuals and families who were affected.

via GoFundMe aims to “help Hawaiʻi farmers recover from flooding and severe wind damage with rapid, unrestricted aid for crop loss, repairs, and urgent operating needs,” the fundraiser page reads. “Funds will be disbursed directly to farmers to support immediate recovery needs.”

ASD has found an anonymous donor who will match all donations up to $100,000.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Emergency feeding"}]

responded by instinct, according to Amanda Corby Noguchi, who co-founded the nonprofit focused on food sustainability, education and community outreach with husband chef Mark Noguchi in 2017.

“And honestly, we never really stopped responding. Since the [Covid-19] pandemic, we've been working alongside our community partners and food systems community of growers, cooks and people of service in an ongoing, everyday way,” Amanda Corby Noguchi said in an email to ASD. “So when the warnings came that flooding was possible, we were already on the phone with partners talking though how weʻd activate together.”

Chef Hui is part of the Oʻahu Feeding Task Force, led by Amy Miller, president and CEO of 

Corby Noguchi added: “What was interesting this time was that food wasn't actually the scarcity — it was coordination. Very quickly, many hub leaders on the ground were telling us there was too much unsolicited food coming their way and not enough organization around it.”

In response, Chef Hui became a logistics hub to help manage inbound requests, move things along and minimize waste. World Central Kitchen, among other organizations, as well as local chefs and restaurants partnered together to make a difference, she noted. Interested in partnering? Reach out to 

“When you see you neighbors in need, you don’t think about your bottom line. You just start being of service however you can.”

Corby Noguchi told ASD that the feedback so far has been: “people didn’t just appreciate the food, they appreciated being seen.”

“Long term, every crisis teaches us how to show up better. Emergency feeding can’t be an afterthought — it needs to be standing infrastructure, build on relationships that start in community and flow upward.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Donate to teachers"}]

Earlier this month, the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association’s board of directors committed $50,000 from the union’s Crises Fund to support its members impacted by the storms.

, who are elementary school teachers at Hawaiʻi Technology Academy.)

Those interested in supporting Hawaiʻi teachers can donate to HSTA March 2026 Kona Storm Relief Fund or give to individual teachers via GoFundMe.

 has been on the frontlines of flood relief efforts, working in tandem with other organizations and businesses helping those in need.

Director Josue Aguilar recently told ASD he’s has a busy past month and half, coordinating and connecting with impacted communities in Waialua, Waimānalo, Mānoa and more on Oʻahu.

“As an organization, we come alongside others to support, communicate, assess needs, etc. ... We had hundreds of volunteers come help, but it has slowed down,” he said. “We’ve been working with anyone that is in need. As the needs change, there will be more specialized work to come.”

The organization, founded by husband-wife team Daniel and Lucy Molina, has also raised more than $50,000 for supplies and materials, and direct relief for local families and businesses.

“Giving has slowed after news cycles have changes,” said Aguilar, who is the nonprofit’s sole staff member.

He previously worked in disaster relief following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires for two years. “It’s very similar,” he said of the fire and flooding responses. “That disaster helped prepare me for this one.”

“As we move toward the recovery phase, continue to reach out to family, friends, volunteers, anyone who has been directly impacted.”

Mental health issues will need to be addressed, said Aguilar, whose faith helps him process and release trauma.

“I know I can’t carry it on my own, so I feel it and give it to the Lord.”

With more work to be done, he advises volunteers to sign up on 

“If youʻre considering volunteering always be helpful, flexible and willing to learn. Things can change very quickly,” Aguilar said.

“Our goal is to make sure folks don’t fall through the cracks.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Benefit concert"}]

Hawaiian Council's Aloha in Action Benefit Concert is set for Thursday, April 21. Proceeds will go toward 

, which provides direct assistance and resources to those affected by the floods. Tickets are still available 

Chef Hui 2026

<title>More ways to help with storm recovery</title>

Looking to give back to organizations continuing to aid those impacted by severe floods last month? Here are some ideas of how to help farmers, teachers and other members of the community.

More ways to help with storm recovery

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"There’s a new taiyaki spot in Honolulu."}]

eaumoku. The business is still in its soft opening.

The business specializes in boba, bingsu and waffle desserts; it also just launched its new bingsu treats, or Korean-style shave ice.

Taiyaki is a popular Japanese fish-shaped pastry that’s usually filled with custard or sweet azuki red bean. This version features fish-shaped waffles made with a special pastry dough.

Choose from fillings like vanilla custard, sweet potato with macadamia nuts, kimchi fried rice and Spam with spicy garlic crust. We’re told the sweet potato and vanilla custard are especially popular.

You can get the waffles as a single ($6 each) or in a set of four ($20). It takes about four minutes for them to bake in the oven. If you get the set of four, the taiyaki come in a cute box. 

The dough is slightly chewy and crispy on the outside (like a croissant exterior); it’s best when enjoyed hot and fresh. We loved the vanilla custard, which boasts a sweeter flavor. The Okinawan sweet potato flavor is finished with honey and condensed milk.

The kimchi fried rice filling is made with fresh, locally milled Hokkaido premium rice and smoked pork belly. It

’s an ideal choice if you prefer savory snacks.

Boba Bing taiyaki 041426

<title>New taiyaki spot in Honolulu</title>

Boba Bing! is one of the newest vendors inside Midtown Eats food hall. The business specializes in boba, bingsu and waffle desserts. Its version of taiyaki — a Japanese fish-shaped pastry — features a selection of sweet and savory fillings.

New taiyaki spot in Honolulu

Yamachika Tom IMG 1913 Large

Tom Yamachika

, that essentially would have forced taxpayers to file a second, publicly available, tax return upon pain of losing the benefit of most income tax credits and all general excise tax and use tax exemptions and deductions. This bill, if passed in that form, would have broad implications because there are GET exemptions and exclusions that most people don’t even think about, such as the exemption for salaries and wages. A person who earns a salary and doesn’t file the second public tax return, for example, would be subject to GET on his or her salary.

The last committee to consider the bill with public input was the Senate Ways and Means Committee. In accord with that committee’s normal practice, the committee did not hold a hearing on the bill because a previous Senate committee had already heard it. Instead, WAM held a decision-making meeting where written testimony could be submitted but oral testimony was not taken.

We submitted testimony on this bill. We made the same arguments we made in this space before, and even attached a copy of our previous Weekly Commentary that ended with: “Someone needs to rewrite this bill or put it out of its misery.”

We also did something unusual. We rewrote the bill. We wrote a draft that got rid of the parts of the bill requiring second tax returns and public disclosure. We replaced them with provisions that would allow DBEDT to conduct a study of tax expenditures with the information that is already on tax returns, like how the federal government allows the Department of Commerce to access IRS tax return data. We put the redraft in our testimony.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"WAM adopted our redraft."}]

The committee report doesn’t say much about our contribution. The committee report states simply, “Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by: (1) Deleting language requiring: (A) Taxpayers to file tax expenditure disclosure forms as a condition for claiming certain income tax credits and general excise tax and use tax exemptions; and (B) The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to use information from the tax expenditure disclosure forms in their evaluation of the effectiveness of tax expenditures; and (2) Instead, authorizing Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism staff who are conducting an evaluation of tax expenditures to examine income tax, general excise tax, and use tax returns.”

, however, Chair Dela Cruz said: “Recommendation is to pass with amendments, to take the Tax Foundation’s amendments in testimony.”

No discussion. Vote taken. Done. It all happened in about 10 seconds.

We gave them an off-ramp. They took it. We, for one, are very grateful that a potential train wreck for Hawaiʻi taxpayers has been avoided.

We are also thankful for those of you who made their opinions known to our lawmakers and supported our efforts at the Foundation.

The job is not over, however. Conference Committee meetings now begin. We are hopeful that any conference draft will be similar to WAM’s.

Taxes 2026

<title>Community Voices: Where’s your second tax return  — part 2</title>

Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi details its latest win at the Legislature — submitting a redraft for HB2429 in testimony that would have forced residents to file a second, publicly available, tax return. Conference Committee meetings now begin.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Sunrise before school

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