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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Now let's all enjoy a puppy fighting some cauliflower..."}]

Smile 26 4 28

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, April 28, 2026</title>

Now let's all enjoy a puppy fighting some cauliflower...

Daily Smile: Tuesday, April 28, 2026

 Now let&#039;s all enjoy a puppy fighting some cauliflower...

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Some people believe that in the heart of Waikīkī, the lingering presence of Hawai‘i’s last royal princess has never quite faded.

Her name was Victoria Kawekiu I Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kaʻiulani Cleghorn, also known affectionately as Princess Kaʻiulani.

Born on October 16, 1875, in Honolulu, Kaʻiulani was the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike (sister to both King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani) and Scottish businessman Archibald Cleghorn. In 1891, Queen Liliʻuokalani named Kaʻiulani her successor to the throne, making Kaʻiulani the last officially designated heir of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Her childhood home was a lush 10-acre estate in Waikīkī called ʻĀinahau, gifted to her by her godmother, Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani. Located in the area of Waikīkī known as ‘Au‘aukai, the estate was where Kaʻiulani spent much of her life with close family, friends, and her beloved peacocks. Her father was a serious horticulturist who introduced plants from around the world, so the ‘Āinahau estate was always lush and green. Archibald Cleghorn is also widely credited with planting Hawaii’s first banyan at ʻĀinahau, sometime around 1870.

In 1899, after a brief illness, Princess Kaʻiulani died at the age of 23. That night, her peacocks reportedly screamed loud enough for people to hear them miles away. Many believed the birds were mourning their mistress. Her mother, Princess Likelike, had also died at ʻĀinahau years earlier. Her father, Cleghorn, passed away there in 1910.

After the royal family was gone, the estate changed hands. From 1913 to 1917, ʻĀinahau was leased and operated as a hotel. Then came the transformation of Waikīkī itself.

Along Kalākaua Avenue, just in front of the driveway to ʻĀinahau, stood Waikīkī’s first grammar school, a humble graveyard, and a small church affiliated with Kawaiahaʻo Church. Nestled among coconut trees, the small chapel served a congregation of working-class residents of the neighborhood.

Time continued to march on, and in 1916, Kawaiahaʻo Church sold the Waikīkī church and graveyard property to the Territorial Hotel Company, which planned to expand the Moana Hotel. The remains of dozens of people were exhumed and quietly reinterred at the main cemetery on Queen Street. The land was cleared to make way for progress.

Just a short time afterward, in the late 1920s, the dredging of the Ala Wai Canal drained the waterways that once nourished ʻĀinahau. Nature dried up, and so did some of the memories of old Waikīkī.

Today, the Sheraton Princess Kaʻiulani Waikīkī Beach Hotel sits on what was once the long driveway to the ʻĀinahau estate. Beneath the hotel’s swimming pool area and souvenir shops lies the site of the old church and graveyard. And perhaps something else is there, too.

Guests who’ve stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaʻiulani Hotel have reported unexplainable chicken skin (goosebumps), the feeling of being watched, and glimpses of shadows in empty hallways. Others have mentioned cold spots that never warm and a heaviness in certain rooms.

Some say they’ve encountered the gentle presence of the Princess herself as an apparition wearing an old-style Victorian gown, quietly observing and sometimes even offering comfort to the weary.

For several years, the hotel workers were kind enough to let me bring my ghost tour through their lobby while I shared stories of the area with my guests. Some might remember how the lobby was once filled with paintings and photos of the late princess. One particular portrait stood out to me, and I always made a point of showing it to my guests.

A life-sized picture of Princess Ka‘iulani hung on a wall near the porte cochère. The young woman wore a black Victorian-style dress and a large black hat, but it was her lifelike appearance that caught my attention. Her eyes seemed to follow you as you moved. She seemed almost present, as though at any moment she might step out of the portrait and into the hall with us.

One day, as I stood in front of the picture contemplating what life might have been like in her day, I swear I saw her blink. Perhaps it was my fervent imagination or wishful thinking, but I went on with my day, walking through Waikīkī. Later, I ran into a gentleman who used to work as a concierge at the Ka‘iulani Hotel. I shared my story with him, and he smiled and nodded.

“I know which one you’re talking about,” he said. “You’re not the only one.”

He didn’t say anything more on the subject, and I was left to wonder how many people had the same experience I did. Was it a glitch in the lights above the painting? Were we all subject to the same hallucination?

Months later, I brought my tour group through the hotel lobby like I did every week. We stopped in front of the portrait, and I began to share the story about the young princess attending school at Great Harrowden Hall in England when a woman in my group let out a yelp.

“She blinked!” the woman shouted. “The woman in the picture just blinked!”

Although the woman was the only person who saw it, the entire group suddenly huddled closer together, training their cell phone cameras on the portrait. I don’t think anyone got a video of the portrait actually blinking, but it was certainly an interesting night.

A few months after that, the hotel began a series of renovations and redecorating, and I made sure to stay away from the area to avoid any injuries or complaints. But when the grand lobby reopened, my heart ached a bit when I realized that the portrait was gone. I asked a few employees at the front desk and concierge where it went, but no one was really sure.

I never found out what happened to the portrait. Maybe it ended up in a storage room somewhere, or in someone’s private collection. Perhaps it was given to an employee or simply discarded. Wherever it is, I like to think that the princess is still watching through the eyes of the portrait.

‘Āinahau and the tiny church and graveyard may have disappeared, and much of old Waikīkī may have been buried beneath concrete and asphalt, but if the stories are true, maybe Princess Ka‘iulani never really left.

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel

<title>Through the Eyes of a Princess</title>

Princess Kaʻiulani spent much of her tragically brief life at her beloved Waikīkī estate, ʻĀinahau. Over time, the property changed hands and developed into the hotel we know today. But there are stories the Princess is with us still in spirit at the site.

Through the Eyes of a Princess

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Looking for ways to enjoy the weekend? From live music from the Royal Hawaiian Band to remembering 9/11, here are some of the events happening on Oʻahu this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, Sept. 11"}]

Work in Downtown Honolulu? Head over to ʻIolani Palace at noon to hear a free performance from the Royal Hawaiian Band. Founded in 1836 by King Kamehameha III, this band plays classic Hawaiian melodies, marches and hula music. 

Award-winning journalist Carol Lin, who now calls Honolulu home, wrote “When News Breaks: A Memoir of Love and War,” which is a collection of personal stories from 9/11. She is credited as the first national journalist to report the first 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Read more about 9/11 and her work. 

Celebrate Okinawan-owned restaurants and businesses which will offer specials as part of Okinawan FEASTival through Monday, Sept. 21. Featured dishes include Okinawan sweet potato croquettes, pandan andagi, and more. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Saturday, Sept 12"}]

This weekend is the Hawaiʻi Heroes – First Responders Night, and the 

 will play New Mexico State University at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. First responders will receive 30% off select tickets. Throughout the night, special presentations will honor the Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, and lifeguards. There will also be a pre-game flyover by the American Medical Response Medevac helicopter. 

The fourth annual event, created by JCI Honolulu and Hawaii Todaiji, features a bon dance, games and merchandise and takes place at Leeward Community College. Learn more about LCC’s educational programs and support local businesses and performers. Admission is $1.

 Visit Waimea Valley’s plant sale, which runs from 8 a.m. until noon every Saturday. Explore the collection of plants in the nursery and learn tips for how to care for them. 

Catch “Kind of New, Kind of Blue, A Miles Davis Centennial Celebration.” 

The event features Reggie Padilla on alto saxophone, Larry Cook on tenor saxophone, Dan Del Negro on piano, John Kolivas on bass, and Darryl Pellegrini on drums. 

“The Queen’s Will” (Aug. 20 – Sept. 20).

 In the early days of the Territory of Hawai‘i, Princess Theresa Owana Ka‘ōhelelani La‘anui Wilcox Belliveau was accused of conspiracy to commit forgery of the last will and testament of Queen Lili‘uokalani. In this story, she fights for her freedom and identity. “The Queen’s Will” runs through Sept. 20 at Kumu Kahua Theatre. 

Tickets for “The Queen’s Will” are $28

 for general admission, with discounts for students, kūpuna, and large group orders. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sunday, Sept 13"}]

 It’s Kamaʻāina Sunday, where residents of the islands can visit ʻIolani Palace for free. 

Self-led audio tours are available to the first 500 guests. 

Enjoy music and activities from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m., including featured performances from Hālau ʻO Nāpualaʻikauikaʻiu, led by Kumu Hula Sallie Yoza, as well as Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Hawaiian Ensemble, led by Kumu Kaleo Trinidad.  There will also be kōnane lessons with Kapena Baptisita, as well as instruction on how to make floral kūpeʻe and weave lauhala. Finally, check out the lauhala anthurium workshop, led by Naomi Nascimento, which will be held for up to 30 people. Free. 

 Send us your pictures of sunrises, sunsets and more. Submitted photos may be featured in our reader submission series called Hawaiʻi Skies. Tell what you saw and why it was special. 

2025 Okinawan FEAS Tival Andagi photo courtesy Reid Shimabukuro

<title>Megabon, music, and more: Your guide to the weekend on Oʻahu</title>

Lots to choose from among O‘ahu events this weekend, from Megabon to the chance to eat Okinawan food, including andagi, at local restaurants. Here are some of the events happening this Friday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 13.

Megabon, music, and more: Your guide to the weekend on Oʻahu

The Hawai‘i International Film Festival

 recently announced its first wave of films for the 46th edition of the festival, which takes place Oct. 21 through Nov. 5 on Oʻahu, followed by screenings on Neighbor Islands. 

 for short films in the state and is an international film festival dedicated to advancing cinema from Hawaiʻi, Asia and the Pacific. This year, the festival, which is being presented by Halekūlani Hotel, starts on Oʻahu, and will be followed by screenings on Neighbor Islands from

The list of 15 films being announced includes the Hawai’i premiere of “Drifter,” 

; three films with strong Hawai‘i ties, two selections from the New American Perspectives program presented by the Vilcek Foundation, four films arriving at HIFF following premieres at the Cannes Film Festival, and five short films competing for the Academy Award-qualifying Best Short Film Award.

“Drifter” is the centerpiece presentation of the festival and will be having its Hawaiʻi premiere. The film focuses on car culture, community, and Hawaiʻi’s 1990s underground drifting scene. The film recently had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival

“It’s incredibly exciting to present the 

as HIFF’s Centerpiece Presentation,” said Anderson Le, HIFF’s artistic director, in a written statement. “Hawai‘i was one of the earliest places where Japanese drift culture took root in the West in the 1990s, helping establish a community that would eventually grow into a global phenomenon. Sung Kang was embraced by that community through his iconic role as Han in the ʻFast & Furious

 films, and ‘Drifter’ brings that connection full circle. The film is a deeply personal love letter to drifting and the people who built the culture, making its U.S. premiere in Hawai‘i especially meaningful.”

Also announced in the first wave of films for the festival is the 

world premiere of “Protecting Kahoʻolawe: 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina,”

 which is directed by Mark Carpenter and Corbin Gregory. The film is being released 50 years after the historic landing of the Kahoʻolawe Nine and chronicles the founding of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana

, as well as generations of restoration and activism.

Zilla Barbosa, which explores how hula continues to evolve while honoring ancestral traditions. At the heart of the story are two queer kanaka maoli kumu hula training a diverse group of haumāna, or students, for the prestigious Merrie Monarch Festival.

 directed by Noah Keone Viernes and Sancia Miala Shiba Nash, will also be part of the festival and focuses on Ke‘eaumoku Kapu, a Kanaka ‘Ōiwi community leader, activist, and caretaker of Nā ‘Aikāne o Maui Cultural Center in Lahain

a. The film explores sovereignty, cultural preservation and kuleana.

HIFF continues its partnership with the Vilcek Foundation through the New American Perspectives program, which will bring these two films to the festival: 

Henry Ian Cusick, known for his role in “Lost;” and 

 which features Aotearoa-born actor Alex Tarrant, who appeared in “NCIS: Hawaiʻi” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”

Hawaiʻi premieres of “The Baddest Screenwriter of All,” and “Sheesh, A Taylor Love Story;”

U.S. premiere of “Pouākai (Raptor);” 

world premieres of “Oli” and “The Man and the Tree."

 are now on sale. All-access passes for screenings at the Kahala and Kapolei venues start at $400 for HIFF members and $500 for non-members. Packages of six or 12 tickets are also available. 

"Drifter"

<title>HIFF announces first wave of festival films</title>

Catch the Hawaiʻi premiere of “Drifter” and the world premiere of “Protecting Kahoʻolawe: 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina” or “Making the Line,” among other films reaching new audiences for the first time at the upcoming Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. The first wave of films, which includes 15 titles, has been announced.

HIFF announces first wave of festival films

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

MĀNOA — Spencer McLachlin estimates he's been inside the Stan Sheriff Center over 500 times since the facility opened in the fall of 1994. 

, both University of Hawai‘i Circle of Honor inductees, Spencer McLachlin would sit in the stands during UH volleyball matches as his father served as TV color commentator alongside Jim Leahey on K5 broadcasts. Wahine volleyball matches were extra special for the McLachlin family, as Beth is still remembered as one of the program's pioneers. A star setter on the 1974 and 1975 teams, Beth McLachlin added the 

With his parents guiding him, Spencer McLachlin went on to become a star athlete himself. While he was a two-time all-state basketball player at Punahou, volleyball was where he truly shined. A 6-foot-7 outside hitter, Spencer McLachlin was a starter in multiple tournaments for the U.S. junior national team. He was one of the sport's top recruits by the time he was set to graduate high school in 2007, and he chose Stanford among his many offers. 

McLachlin started all 105 matches he appeared in for the Cardinal from 2008 to 2011, which included a national championship in 2010. With aspirations of becoming a coach one day, McLachlin helped out with Bay-to-Bay Volleyball Club as he finished up a master's degree with Stanford. 

After a brief professional playing career in Greece, McLachlin returned to Hawai‘i and joined Charlie Wade's UH men's staff as a volunteer assistant in 2014 while he taught at Punahou. He was then elevated to full-time assistant for the Rainbow Warriors in 2015. 

From there, McLachlin was an assistant coach for the Cal women's team from 2016 to 2017, an assistant coach on the UCLA men's staff from 2018 to 2021, the associate head coach for Indiana in 2022, then the associate head coach for USC from 2023 to 2025. His first opportunity to become a head coach was officially announced on Dec. 29, 2025, when UC San Diego named him the new women's head coach. 

On Sunday, the final day of the 2026 OUTRIGGER Invitational, Spencer McLachlin's UC San Diego squad went up against host Hawai‘i to close the tournament. Father Chris was courtside doing color commentary for K5 with Kanoa Leahey, Jim's son, while Beth McLachlin watched intently. As Spencer competed against the University of Hawai‘i for the first time as a head coach, he proved the McLachlin family can still have firsts in its charmed volleyball journey. 

Though the Tritons were just two points away from winning in four sets, the Rainbow Wahine rallied to take Sunday's match 22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 26-24, 15-8. UCSD led as late as 23-22 in the fourth set before UH forced deuce. The 'Bows, who sprinted to a 14-3 lead in the fifth set, went 3-0 over the weekend and improved to 4-2 for the 2026 campaign. The Tritons, meanwhile, fell to 2-4 in McLachlin's debut season and were 0-3 during the weekend. 

"A lot of emotions," Spencer McLachlin told Aloha State Daily following the match, with some of his players seen wiping tears away in the distance. "I feel for my team that fought so hard, but it's life. Learning isn't linear. It's not gonna happen overnight. It's gonna take some really hard lessons, and we had three really hard lessons in the three matches this weekend. I wish it ended up a little bit differently, but that's volleyball. That's why everyone everyone loves it. I'm proud of our girls."

Over a dozen family members were in attendance to support Spencer McLachlin on Sunday. Additionally, a handful of friends from his O‘ahu childhood, including Stanford teammate Kawika Shoji, were there to offer encouragement. 

"I love this place," Spencer McLachlin said of the Stan. "My mom's got her plaque up there in the Circle of Honor. This place means so much to me. It is a top five place to play in the world, and it's because of the fans. It's because of the tradition. ... Just so many great coaches. The volleyball community here is so great. And if I grew up anywhere else, I probably wouldn't have fallen in love with the sport like I did growing up here."

In the heat of the match, Spencer McLachlin admits he gave a quick look to his dad and couldn't help but smile. After the match, Spencer's three young children walked towards the announcer's table. 

"There's Papa," Spencer pointed out to his keiki. 

Chris McLachlin knew that calling Sunday's match came with added responsibility. The school he loves was facing a team coached by his son, and he knew he had to be impartial to both. 

I started out by telling Kanoa if I lapse into nepotism at all, please correct me," Chris McLachlin joked with ASD after the match. "I thought that for the weekend, (Spencer) was really proud of how they performed. They could have won the tournament, you know. They were very close to being 3-0. Instead, they're 0-3. But a lot of good lessons learned, and it's a different kind of proud that he is sharing so much of himself with those girls."

The four years Spencer McLachlin played for Stanford aligned directly with the four seasons current Rainbow Wahine head coach 

 took the floor for the Hawai‘i men's team following a redshirt year. Though McLachlin 

went 8-1 as a player against the 'Bows, Walker never made it easy, leading UH in kills the vast majority of those matchups. 

"Ton of respect for him, just because I know how hard of a worker he is," Walker said following the match. "We knew we were going to get their best shot and they were going to be prepared. That's just who he is and how he operates. I think we both made each other better tonight."

Despite growing up an athletic prodigy of sorts, the coaches in Spencer McLachlin's life are the reason why he set his heart early on becoming one himself one day. 

 was his club coach when he was 10, and Spencer McLachlin remembers how the legendary former Wahine volleyball coach taught him how to pass, one of the underrated skills in the sport. McLachlin joked that with a career record of 2-4 thus far in his debut season, he has 1,200 to go to catch Shoji's career mark of 1202-204-1. 

But if there's one coach who truly made his mark on Spencer, it's his father, who led Punahou to 11 state titles in boys volleyball and three in boys basketball. 

"He's my biggest mentor," Spencer McLachlin says of Chris McLachlin. "Him caring for the athletes and the trust that you build by getting to know them, he has incredible relationships with all of his former athletes and if I could be a 10th of the coach that he is, then I'll have a great career. I think he's a wizard, and I'm so blessed to have him be my mentor." 

Following a brief chat after the match, Chris and Spencer McLachlin went their separate ways, Spencer eager to build on the career he's wanted for as long as he can remember, knowing dad is always a phone call away. 

"He was always asking questions about coaching strategies, so I thought maybe he's gonna be a coach someday," Chris McLachlin says. "He always seemed to glean the most from all the coaches he had when he played in the junior national team. He just always seemed to be gleaning little pearls of wisdom about coaching. And I think when he was very young, he followed me for my basketball and volleyball career, and it always seemed to be not just a kid at the gym, but more like a kid learning at the gym. He was always picking up something and asking questions. He wants to be a good coach in the worst way, and just the art of coaching means a lot to him."

Spencer McLachlin 090626

<title>Punahou alum Spencer McLachlin returns home for emotional weekend as new UCSD coach</title>

Both of McLachlin's parents are in the UH Circle of Honor. He estimates he's been inside the Stan Sheriff Center over 500 times. On Sunday, for the first time as a head coach, he went up against his childhood team.

Punahou alum Spencer McLachlin returns home for emotional weekend as new UCSD coach

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Mike Shiroma’s neighborhood in the Pālolo Valley sounds different than it did when he was a kid, all because of the invasive coqui frog.

The quarter-sized tree frog native to Puerto Rico calls from dusk to dawn. They are one of the loudest frogs in the world, with calls reaching up to 100 decibels, similar to a lawnmower or motorcycle. They hitchhiked to Hawaiʻi Island in 1988 and have since set up colonies on Oʻahu in Pālolo Valley, Waimānalo and the Kuliʻouʻou summit.

Shiroma said he’s witnessed the number of frogs grow from a handful to dozens to thousands, and now estimates that there are 15,000-20,000 coqui frogs in Pālolo Valley.

Shiroma described the coqui frog noise as a “permanent, audio graffiti.”

“They're changing the environment forever,” he said.

Sidney Lynch called the noise deafening. She noticed the occassional frog washing down the Waiʻōmaʻo Stream and would call the Department of Agriculture to catch it. She offered to help after she noticed more and more frogs washing down the stream in 2025.

She co-founded Pālolo Coqui, a group of volunteers that meets multiple times a week to catch and kill coqui in the Pālolo Valley. Volunteers have caught 6,085 since they started in March.

“Even though it’s only concentrated in a five street area, it’s getting much noisier and they can spread,” Lynch said. “At this point, if there’s the chance to eradicate them, we may as well try.”

When volunteers came to Shiroma’s door with a flyer earlier this year, they joined forces to fight the invasion, going from what Shiroma called an “army of one” to a team. Shiroma has been hunting coqui frogs for years, and said he’s getting burned out and discouraged.

Volunteers wear long-sleeve neon shirts, long pants, headlamps and sturdy shoes, and carry plastic tubes, UV flashlights, citric acid solution and radios, and head out into the protected state land bordering the neighborhood to search for frogs.

Here’s how it works: Volunteers listen for the distinct “ko-KEE” call, approach the frog and place a long plastic tube on the frog. The frog jumps up and into the tube, and volunteers put the frog into a small bottle full of a citric acid solution where it is killed.

The male frogs like to hang out on logs and smooth leaves, such as monstera, pothos and heliconia. The “ko” of the coqui’s call asserts their territory and the “kee” calls for females.

Shiroma read scientific papers that said certain amphibians floresce under UV light. He tried it out, and found that certain UV light makes the coqui appear black and their eyes glow, allowing volunteers to look for frogs with UV flashlights when they are not calling.

“To me, this is the game changer. There’s no better discovery than this,” Shiroma said.

The coqui frog is one of 15 high priority pests that the 

 is monitoring. OISC is a project under the University of Hawaiʻi Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit that coordinates between communities, the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. OISC first got involved with coqui frogs in Pālolo Valley in September 2024.

Robbie Snyder, a community engagement liaison with OISC, detailed the negative impacts coqui frogs can have on Hawaiʻi.

Coqui frogs have no natural predators on Hawaiʻi, so they get more dense than they would in their home country. Snyder said that one acre of land on Oʻahu can be home to 36,000 coqui.

The noise changes the soundscape of Oʻahu’s forests, Snyder said. Lynch said that the noise impacts resident’s quality of life.

Homeowners are required to disclose if there’s a coqui frog infestation on or near their property, which can drive down home prices.

Coqui frogs eat invertebrates, which damages Oʻahu’s native plants and can harm native plants when those plants aren’t being pollinated.

“Those insects also play vital pollinating services to our native plants, so when the frogs eat the native insects, we then lose things that can pollinate our native plants, and that has a cascading affect through the ecosystem,” Snyder said.

If snakes were introduced in Hawaiʻi, coqui frogs would provide a “massive food source” and aid their spread.

According to Snyder, the current goal is to contain coqui frogs until the state has the resources or better tools to eradicate them.

“With the resources we have right now, site level eradication of coqui is not possible,” Snyder said. “There isn’t enough funding, there’s not enough people, there’s not enough resources, and that’s even with the incredible community volunteers that we have, but we need more and we need a years-long commitment to funding.”

Snyder said that hand capture alone isn’t enough at this point to eradicate an infestation.

“There are small enough local populations that they haven’t become widespread. Hope is not lost with coqui frogs,” Snyder said.

OISC and state agencies spray a liquid combination of citric acid and water in an attempt to contain coqui frogs. Citric acid, which is found in citrus, some soft drinks and some candies, poses little risk to people and the environment, but is lethal to amphibians because they respirate through their skin.

OISC has been spraying 400 gallons of citric acid month in the Pālolo Valley for about two years and increased to spray twice monthly starting in August.

When coqui frogs infested Wahiawā in 2003, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biodiversity, the Oʻahu Army Natural Resources Program, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and OISC teamed up and eradicated the coqui infestation with a mix of citric spray and hand captures by 2007.

The volunteers in Pālolo have mixed opinions about the use of citric acid spray. Lynch believes citric acid spray is an effective tool and Shiroma believes it’s not as effective as hand capturing the frogs.

Shiroma called it an “agency failure” that the Department of Agriculture hasn’t dedicated more resources to preventing the spread of coqui.

“You guys are using the same broken playbook that’s not working and hasn’t worked for decades. This is not a new problem.” Shiroma. He advocated for the Department of Agriculture to make a dedicated team that works at night.

While the coqui frogs keep calling, Pālolo Valley neighbors will continue donning neon shirts and heading into the forest to stop them.

Coqui in Pālolo

<title>Volunteers battle coqui frog infestation in Pālolo Valley</title>

The Pālolo Coqui volunteer group is working alongside the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee and state agencies to contain a coqui frog infestation in their neighborhood.

Volunteers battle coqui frog infestation in Pālolo Valley

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Civil Beat has begun a series on meth in the Islands, and it opens with the dead.

, with a selected few arranged as a series of vignettes. Some died of overdose, others of heart conditions caused by their meth habit.

One of the deceased was Christopher Woodard, the chief planner for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, making $139,860 a year. He was found on his apartment floor with a glass pipe in his lap.

John Hill has written about these people with care. He calls them 

It’s a sentimental start to a series of articles on meth that Hill has promised.

Meth is not deadly at the same scale as heart disease, cancer, or stroke. But its impacts are wide ranging. Meth use often tears families apart. It frequently comes paired with mental illness, and it may accompany other forms of disorder, including lying, theft, and violence. The consequences of meth can be seen on many a street corner. For this reason, meth looms large in the social imaginary.

Despite the scale of Hawaiʻi’s meth epidemic, there is little local journalism on the subject, except for reports of arrests and prosecutions. So a series like Hill’s will shape the state’s policies in dealing with meth. This makes it worth asking what the author assumes about his subject.

Every remedy rests on some account of the sick man. Begin with the wrong account of man, and we will spend a great deal of money on cures that cannot work.

 at contingency management, a policy the state is trialing. The idea is to pay people for clean drug tests, in gift cards or small sums of cash. Advocates claim that contingency management is more effective than other treatments. At least that’s what experts and some academic studies suggest, with all the normal caveats about the quality of experts and academic research.

Grant the point that the treatments work, and ask why.

In part, contingency management works because some men will stay clean for $50. Should our state be in the business of paying these drug addicts to stay clean?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"And why doesn’t Hill call them addicts?"}]

 that most newsrooms follow. Writers are steered away from words like 

 are off limits. Journalists shouldn’t call people who use drugs 

, though they can describe people’s drug 

 with select adjectives permitted (e.g., 

Hill is willing to skirt the rules, as he calls his subjects 

But the guide goes further and offers to redefine words: addiction is “a treatable disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior,” brought on by genetics and mental illness and other factors. 

According to this definition, addiction is something that happens to a man, like the flu or chickenpox. The Stylebook’s definition has no place for the man’s will.

The idea underneath this definition is older than the Stylebook. Rousseau taught that man arrives in the world basically good and is then spoiled by civilization. This thought is taken for granted today. It is like water, and we are fish swimming in it.

If corruption comes from outside the man, then the cure must be applied outside him. Adjust his surroundings and he will improve. Nearly every drug policy of the last 50 years has been some version of that hope.

The gift card is the gentle version. The hard version uses incarceration to reform the addict, controlling his environment to change his behavior. But it is the same anthropology in a different uniform.

Both remedies work on a man’s circumstances because neither can account for his will. One offers a reward and the other a threat, but neither engages with the whole person.

Are humans good by nature or fallen? For the answer, we can look to our children.

Leave 10 toddlers alone in a room and no social contract emerges. The result is chaos.

Anyone who has taught toddlers knows that they often defy instruction, sometimes seeming to revel in disobedience. We tell ourselves that small ones are only testing the boundaries, and perhaps they are. But this explanation cannot account for their behavior later in life.

Some people may use meth because of mental illness. Others may use meth because they’re forced to. Many people don’t know the full consequences of meth use when they start. But a few know full well that meth is illegal and harmful, and they use it anyway.

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The professional with a house and a pension does not take up meth because his surroundings failed him. The husband who cheats is not always short of affection at home. The teacher who molests a child knows that his behavior is wrong.

The simplest explanation is that man sins because it is in his nature to sin. Augustine stole pears when he wasn’t hungry and then threw them away. He didn’t want the pears. He delighted in sin for sin’s sake.

A state planner earning $139,860 a year was found dead on his apartment floor, a glass pipe in his lap. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on how every remedy for meth rests on some account of the man being remedied.

Daily Smile: Tuesday, April 28, 2026

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, April 28, 2026

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