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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Dog showing the mailman who's boss..."}]

Smile 26 5 15

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026</title>

Dog showing the mailman who's boss...

Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026

 Dog showing the mailman who&#039;s boss...

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special weeklong promotion. Starting Nov. 11, the steakhouse will feature a $50 filet mignon — served with roasted brussels sprouts, pancetta, balsamic red wine reduction, creamy gorgonzola sauce and a choice of starch — that’s available to the first 50 orders each evening. This promotion is from Nov. 11 to 17.

“We wanted to play into the 50th anniversary — hence the price — and also the amount that we will be serving each night during the event,” says Hy’s Steak House executive chef Brandon Bernal.

Bernal notes that the restaurant’s décor has mostly remained the same throughout the decades.

“Even this (kiawe) grill is the original,” he says. “The mural in the back (of the grill) is the original; even during our renovation two years ago, we really wanted to keep the mural intact as much as possible. We were able to find the original artist who did it; during the renovation, he came in and labeled each tile individually and took it down. When we built the new wall, he put it (the mural) back up.”

The kiawe wood grill is a significant feature of the steakhouse; guests can watch the grill master prepare each steak in the restaurant’s dining room. Bernal notes that local mesquite wood gives the steaks their smoky flavor.

“Pretty much every steak will touch this grill,” he says.

He notes that the 2024 renovations were mostly done in the kitchen.

“It’s pretty iconic — you come in here and step into a different world,” he says. “We wanted to preserve that as much as possible.”

From Nov. 11 to 17, the steakhouse is also featuring a special $125 prix fixe menu, which includes some of Hy’s signature dishes.

The prix fixe starts with an amuse bouche, then come French onion soup with caramelized onions, Gruyere and mozzarella, and Hy’s Caesar salad. The Caesar salad is prepared tableside and features Parmigiano-Reggiano, hearts of Romaine and herb roasted croutons.

Filet mignon — served with roasted brussels sprouts, pancetta, balsamic red wine reduction, creamy gorgonzola sauce and choice of starch — is the entrée, and the experience ends with Hy’s banana fosters flambe. The dessert — comprising banana, orange, cinnamon, crème de banana, orange curacao and dark rum — is prepared tableside.

“Since we are celebrating 50 years, we wanted to highlight the favorites that helped to get us to this milestone,” Bernal says. “Our French onion soup, Caesar salad and banana fosters flambe are staples at Hy’s. These recipes have remained unchanged throughout Hy’s history and are dishes that guests have come to love and expect.”

Bernal notes that, while the $50 filet mignon and special prix fixe menu are for one week only, the restaurant will be featuring other promotions throughout the year to celebrate the milestone.

“One thing that has been requested of the culinary team is the return of old favorites that have been phased out over time,” he says. “My team and I will be working on bringing these dishes back for a limited time throughout the year. We hope that guests will stop in and join us as we revisit old classics from our past.”

Bernal, who has been at Hy’s for nearly 10 years, says he started as a baker fresh out of Kapi

olani Community College’s culinary program. He says working with his staff has been one of his favorite experiences at Hy’s.

“I am fortunate to have a team that enjoys working together,” he says. “They like to clown around a lot, but they do know when to be serious. It has made for some good times throughout the years, and I am glad I get the opportunity to work with them.

“Another thing that has stuck with me throughout the years has been our guests,” he adds. “It’s nice to share a part of ourselves with them through our food and service. I want to say ‘thank you’ to all our guests who have joined us through the years. I hope that we can continue to be a special place for them and that we will be a part of their future memories.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Complimentary valet parking is available."}]

Open from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays to Sundays,

Hys Steak House executive chef 111026

<title>Hy’s Steak House is celebrating 50 years</title>

The Waikīkī steakhouse, which opened in 1976, is celebrating its milestone anniversary with a weeklong promotion. Diners can enjoy a $50 filet mignon — available to the first 50 orders each evening — along with a special $125 prix fixe menu that features Hy’s signature dishes.

Hy’s Steak House is celebrating 50 years

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Mānoa Valley was once a heavily cultivated landscape, checkered with lo‘i kalo. The numerous streams that ran through the wide valley provided water for irrigating the fields, sustaining generations of Hawaiians. After Kamehameha I’s conquest of Oʻahu in 1795, the valley also became an important food source for his army.

In the early 19th century, portions of Mānoa were associated with aliʻi, including Kameʻeiamoku, his son Hoapili, and his granddaughter Liliha, who later married Boki, governor of Oʻahu. The couple maintained a residence in the valley, and Boki and a British business partner experimented with growing sugarcane and coffee there. By the mid-1800s, more than 30 landowners were recorded in the Mānoa area. Over the following decades, land ownership shifted, and more homes were built, yet some agricultural activity continued.

When the College of Hawaiʻi began acquiring land in Mānoa in 1907–1908, the property was far from empty. Small agricultural fields, some enclosed by stone walls, were being cultivated by Hawaiian and Chinese tenants. The university began clearing its newly acquired property in 1909, a process that continued for years.

In 1915, a large area of the developing campus was cleared and graded to create Cooke Field, the university’s first athletic facility. But Cooke Field was relocated in 1937 to make way for further campus development. Hemenway Hall was completed on part of the former athletic grounds in 1939. The remaining property would eventually become the site of a new university library.

Construction began in the mid-1950s, and the four-story reinforced-concrete building was completed in 1956. Originally called the New Library, it was named after Gregg M. Sinclair, the university's president at the time.

The building is well-known in campus folklore as a haunted location, with recurring student and staff reports of inexplicable events. An old newspaper editorial column interviewed a student who said she heard footsteps approach her stall in the basement restroom, but when she exited, no one was there. After reporting this to the librarian and some other students, they all went down to investigate, leaving someone to guard the door. They found nothing and no one in the restroom, but as they turned to leave, one of the stall doors suddenly slammed shut. This was followed by paper towels being yanked out of the dispenser by an unseen hand. The group of students and the librarian bolted for the door, nearly trampling the guard they left outside.

After we shared a video about the Sinclair Library on our social media, a man emailed us about his own encounter in the basement’s audiovisual room.

When Paul began studying music at the University of Hawaiʻi, he often found himself in the audiovisual listening lab at Sinclair Library. Although his classes required him to listen to hours of assigned recordings, he hated going down to the basement.

He couldn’t explain it, but something about the listening lab made him uncomfortable. The feeling was strong enough that when he found out that the library offered recordings, he jumped at the opportunity. This meant he could take the music with him and listen somewhere else, without having to spend hours in the lab.

Paul said that although the high-speed duplications were hard to listen to because of warbling and distortions, he still preferred that over listening in that basement room. In his email, he said he was curious whether other students or staff had the same experiences.

Another woman messaged us with a similar story. She said that looking back, she can’t say exactly what initially bothered her about the listening lab. There were no shadows and no figure lurking in the corner, and nothing she could point to as the source of her uneasiness. She simply knew she didn’t want to be there any longer than necessary. One day, her nerves were seriously tested.

When she arrived one afternoon, she was relieved to notice another person sitting at one of the work stations. She chose a nearby station, placed her bag on the desk, leaning it against the partition. As she walked away, she heard a loud thump and turned to see her bag on the floor. When she looked in the direction of the other person, they were gone. No one stood up, and no one passed her. She didn’t hear any footsteps or shuffling.

At first, the woman just stared at her bag, trying to figure out how it could have fallen off the flat, level desk. She knew she didn’t put it at the edge. She decided to ignore what just happened and get to work. However, when she finally sat down to begin, she felt someone standing next to her and put their hand on her shoulder.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I never jumped so high,” she said."}]

There was no one in the room with her, but she is adamant that she distinctly felt the pressure of a hand on her shoulder.

Although the Sinclair Library is now closed as it undergoes a transformation into a new student-support center, we wonder whether the newly renovated space will also be haunted. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.

Old Sinclair Library

<title>Uneasy Listening in the Sinclair Library</title>

Former University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa students recall strange and eerie experiences at Sinclair Library. Its A/V lab was especially troubling.

Uneasy Listening in the Sinclair Library

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

[{"type":"text","text":"Sterling Carvalho is the new Saint Louis football coach. "}]

Following a months-long coaching search, Carvalho emerged as the top choice for Saint Louis School president and CEO Glenn Medeiros. The school is set to make a formal announcement on Tuesday afternoon. 

"I'm just excited," Carvalho told Aloha State Daily. "I'm excited to carry on the tradition and legacy of Saint Louis football."

 with former head coach Tupu Alualu, beginning the search for its next coach shortly after. 

Carvalho was formerly the head coach of Kahuku from the 2018 to 2024 seasons, leading the Red Raiders to their first HHSAA state championship three-peat from 2021 to 2023. He was removed from the position in the spring of 2025, stemming from a complaint from a former player. Carvalho fought for his right to continue to coach the Red Raiders, making multiple 

 in the summer of 2025. His motion to continue coaching the team was 

 by O‘ahu Circuit Court Judge Jordon J. Kimura right before the 2025 high school football season. 

head coach for the American Samoa men's flag football national team

, leading the team to a historic win over the United States on Aug. 14 in Germany. Carvalho previously said that if he were to take a high school football coaching job, he would also continue his pursuit to lead American Samoa to a 2028 Olympic bid. 

Carvalho, a native of Kaua‘i, coached at Kahuku for over a decade prior to becoming varsity head coach in 2018. He is 3-2 in HHSAA Open Division title games, with both losses against Saint Louis in 2018 and 2024. Meanwhile, his first state title as varsity head coach was a 49-14 victory over the Crusaders in 2021. 

, Carvalho takes over the most storied high school football program in Hawai‘i history. The Crusaders have a combined 22 Hawai‘i state championships and Prep Bowl titles, more than any other team in the state. 

In 2026, the Crusaders went 1-8, including 1-3 in ILH play. Their nonconference included losses to Kahuku and Mililani, as well as national powers IMG Academy, Sierra Canyon and St. John Bosco. After starting 0-4, Leonard Lau took over as interim head coach. The search for the the permanent head coach followed, leading to Carvalho. 

"I'm just grateful for the administration and the whole process that they went through in hiring me," Carvalho said. "I'll put together a staff, and once I get that, we'll be running. So, I'm excited for that. The whole process, we're just trying to do what is the best and the right thing for the Men of Kalaepohaku."

Sterling Carvalho 111026

<title>Sterling Carvalho selected new football coach at Saint Louis</title>

The former Kahuku head coach, who did not coach at the high school level in 2025 and 2026, takes over for the Crusaders.

Sterling Carvalho selected new football coach at Saint Louis

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Ready to celebrate the weekend? From live music to new eats, Aloha State Daily has your list of ways to spend Friday, Nov. 13, Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, Nov. 13"}]

Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana celebrates 50 years with album, concert.

 More than five decades ago, nine people evaded the U.S. Coast Guard to land on 

. This year, the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana has been hosting events across the state to reignite the call for aloha ʻāina, or care for the land. Catch the 

50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina Concert and Celebration: Laʻa, Maʻa, Paʻa!

 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Great Lawn of the Bishop Museum. The event honors the release of the new album “50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina”. 

 are $10 for ʻōpio and kūpuna and $25 for adults. Proceeds from the concert go to PKO. 

This melodic house and techno festival born in Tulum, Mexico, will hold its first event in Hawaiʻi this week with nine entertainers at Echoa Ridge in Kapolei. Doors open at 2 p.m. and the show runs from 3 to 11 p.m. Attendees must be at least 18 years old. Headliners include WhoMadeWho and Arodes, along Hawaiʻi-born DJ Fiyah, and more. A roundtrip bus will leave from Hawaiian Brian’s and return there for an after party that starts at midnight. Tickets start at $180, plus fees. Parking and round-trip bus fare are an additional cost. 

The 2026 Italian Film Festival is back for its second year in Honolulu with three films over three days. This collaboration between the Friends of Italy Society of Hawaiʻi, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco features the films: “La vita va così (Life Is Life),” “Gioia mia (Sweetheart),” and “Nonostante (Feeling Better)” on Friday, Nov. 13, Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15, respectively. Films are in Italian with English subtitles. This year, movie goers can enjoy a new suprise: 

Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for college students; and free for youth, ages 18 years old and younger. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Saturday, Nov. 14"}]

Go to the “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience.” 

This traveling exhibit opened at the Capitol Modern last week and shares the history of the second-generation Japanese Americans called “Nisei" who served in World War II, including in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service. Several of the soldiers featured have Hawaiʻi roots. The museum is open on Veterans Day. Free.

Catch a screening of Disney’s live action “Moana 2” in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Bring a blanket and picnic dinner. Snacks and refreshments will be available for purchase. This event is presented by Kūmau Productions, Ko Olina and Hawaiian Council.

Arrive at 5 p.m. and settle in before the movie begins at sunset. Parking is $10, cash only. Screening is free. 

The Rainbow Warriors will take on the North Dakota State University Bison at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. The game theme is Military Night. The evening will also include remembrances and video tributes in honor of former head coach 

, who died last month. There will also be a military aircraft flyover to celebrate Veterans Day weekend. Active duty military, Department of Defense civilians, and retired members of the military get access to 50% off select tickets. 

Bring your favorite furry friend to this annual costume contest, which is part of Jack the Hotel Dog’s sixth birthday celebration at The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club. The top three winners take home prizes, including a staycation and vendor goodies. Register at 4 p.m. The contest starts at 4:30 p.m. The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club was recently named the 

 in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. The event will include a DJ and local vendors.

 runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Makiki District Park. The festival, hosted by The United Korean Association of Hawaiʻi, highlights Korea’s rich culinary heritage and showcases connections between Hawaiʻi and Korea. Free.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sunday, Nov. 15"}]

It is already mid-November, which means Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. Ready to make plans? Food & Dining Reporter 

Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 1

Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 2

 This new eatery in Kakaʻako recently soft opened in the space that was once Phuket Thai and Better Bites Thai and More. 

, among other dishes. The eatery is open daily, from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. 

"Moana 2"

<title>Veterans Day celebrations, 'Moana 2,' and more: what to do on Oʻahu this weekend</title>

From cheering at a football game with a Military Night theme to visiting the special exhibit “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience" at the Capitol Modern, there are lots of ways to celebrate Veterans Day. This weekend also marks an album release concert for “50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina,” which celebrates five decades of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana. Looking for a movie? Catch a free screening of "Moana 2" in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

Veterans Day celebrations, 'Moana 2,' and more: what to do on Oʻahu this weekend

 is coming Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The festival will be held at Makiki District Park (1527 Ke

The event is free and is open to the public. Kimchi Day Festival Hawaiʻi strives to bring the community together for a day dedicated to Korean food, traditions and culture, according to David Suh, president of The United Korean Association of Hawai

"The Kimchi Day Festival is the perfect excuse to gather your friends, try some amazing dishes, and capture memories that look just as good as they taste", says Suh. "I can't wait to see all of you out there bringing your appetites and celebrating with us.”

The annual festival, hosted by The United Korean Association of Hawai

i, highlights Korea’s rich culinary heritage and showcases the cultural connections between Hawaiʻi and Korea.

The festival is centered around kimchi, Korea’s iconic fermented dish that has become popular in Hawaii. Kimchi is usually made with salted vegetables — like Napa cabbage — along with garlic, ginger and chili pepper. Gov. Josh Green signed House Bill 1950 into law in 2023, and officially designated Nov. 22 as Kimchi Day in Hawai

At this year’s festival, attendees can look forward to a won bok toss tournament, best homemade kimchi contest, a kimchi-making demo, kimchi jeon eating contest, and a K-pop dance competition. There will also be live performances, featuring Korean drumming and other cultural presentations.

For more information, visit the Kimchi Day Festival’s 

Kimchi Day Festival 2026 kimchi packs 102826

<title>4th annual Kimchi Day Festival Hawaiʻi is coming Nov. 14</title>

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Makiki District Park; it’s open to the public and free to attend. Attendees can look forward to live music, cultural performances, a kimchi-making demonstration and K-Pop dance contest.

4th annual Kimchi Day Festival Hawaiʻi is coming Nov. 14

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Crime & Courts

The Moanalua High School girls wrestling team has won five state titles in a row. That is the sort of sentence that usually ends a story. This week it begins one.

Sean Sakaida coached that team through four of those titles. He is 

, accused of producing child pornography with one of his wrestlers. Court records say he began dating the girl when she was in ninth grade.

Within a day of the FBI posting a tip form, two more possible victims came forward.

The morning after Sakaida’s arrest, the mother of his three children walked into Family Court with a handwritten petition for a protective order. She alleged that he abused her children, and she asked the court to keep him away for 20 years.

The courts have not yet ruled. But the public record is already heavy enough to ask: How did he get here?

The wrestlers were children. Their parents signed the permission slips and drove them to practice and trusted a man — and the school that hired him — to help form their daughters.

That formation is what a coach is for. A parent lends a child to a coach for a few hours a day so the child can learn to work hard, compete well, and get up off the mat.

Sakaida, by his own account, made himself available at all hours. In 2012, at Roosevelt High School, a parent accused him of kissing a 13-year-old wrestler and texting other girls as late as 3 a.m. He denied the kiss. He did not deny the texts. He told the Star-Advertiser he was only helping students with their problems, and that former students still called him “because he was always available.”

Every parent should hear alarm bells in that sentence. A 30-year-old man texting other people’s teenage daughters at 3 a.m. is not “available.” He is a threat. Teens have problems, and they should carry those problems to their parents. A coach who becomes the person they carry them to instead has not added something to a family. He has taken something from it. The best-friend coach is a type we have learned to admire. It is a type we should learn to resist.

The Department of Education investigated in 2012. But it never called the police. Sakaida was placed on leave. The next year Moanalua hired him. Moanalua’s athletic director has 

 whether the school knew about the 2012 allegations.

, and anyone with a search engine could have found it in under a minute. If Moanalua knew, that is one kind of trouble. If Moanalua did not check, that is another.

Then Sakaida won: First a few individual champions, then four state titles in a row. In 2025 the school received a complaint that he was in a relationship with a 17-year-old wrestler. The school investigated. Again, no one called the police.

Sakaida was placed on leave, his contract lapsed, and his name went into a confidential registry. According to federal prosecutors, the relationship continued for months afterward. It took a private citizen tipping the FBI in January to bring in anyone with a badge.

Wrestling is a fine sport. It builds tough, hard-working people, because the mat does not lie. It teaches responsibility, because a wrestler who loses cannot blame a teammate.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to win, and nothing wrong with winning. But the desire to win is like fire: useful in the hearth, ruinous in the curtains.

We know what that desire looks like when it gets loose. Students who live in the weight room and skip the classroom. Teenagers taking steroids to gain an edge. Schools that hire a coach with a complaint already on file because his teams bring home hardware.

The desire to win at any cost is idolatry, pure and simple, and idols always want to be fed. In this case, it appears, girls were the offering.

Here is what happens next if nothing changes. The victims will rightly sue. The DOE will settle out of court to avoid the headlines. The settlement will be sealed, and the public will pay the bill without ever learning who knew what. Records requests will die under “pending litigation.” The criminal trial will produce details, and we will consume them the way we consume cold-case podcasts, and then we will forget.

We should not. Every detail that emerges should be read as a specification for reform. A school is not a police department. When a complaint involves a possible sex crime against a child, the school’s first call should be to the people whose job is investigating crimes.

That is already the law. Hawaiʻi makes every school employee a mandated reporter, required to report suspected abuse immediately to Child Welfare Services or the police. It’s not clear that the schools did. The Legislature should ask why, in public, before the settlements seal the answer.

A coaching hire should require a check of past complaints across the whole system, not just a clean criminal record. Parents should ask who is texting their daughter at midnight, and a coach should be dismissed if the answer is him.

Moanalua has a case filled with trophies. At what cost?

Moanalua HS BANNER 16x9

<title>Moanalua won four state titles: Who paid?</title>

In 2012, a parent accused a Roosevelt coach of kissing a 13-year-old wrestler. The next year, Moanalua hired him and he won four state titles. ASD columnist Sterling Higa on idolatry, mandated reporting, and the trophy case nobody wants to look inside.

Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026

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Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026

Authors

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