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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...

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

The Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would lower the motor vehicle weight tax by approximately 20 percentage points.

 proposed by Chair Tommy Waters, aims to lower the motor vehicle weight from 7 cents per pound of vehicle net weight to 5.5 cents per pound for vehicles under 6,500 pounds and from 7.5 cents per pound of vehicle net weight to 6 cents per pound.

Waters says the bill will make Hawaiʻi more affordable.

“For most Oʻahu families, the car is a necessity. Lower registration fees mean real savings that households will see year after year,” he said at a city council meeting on June 30.

Department of Transportation Services Director J. Roger Morton asked councilmembers to consider the tax in connection with total transportation funding. He testified Wednesday morning that the 1.5% decrease in the motor vehicle weight tax would lead to approximately $39.5 million in revenue loss.

“$40 million in loss is about the same amount as what we spend every year on road resurfacing,” he said.

Oʻahu has the highest motor vehicle weight tax in the state, compared to 3.5 cents per pound on Maui, 2 cents on Kauaʻi County and 1.75 cents in Hawaiʻi County for passenger vehicles.

“We recognize that the highway registration tax is higher on Oʻahu than it is on the Neighbor Islands, but we also have the lowest gas tax of all the counties,” Morton said. “The reality is for Oʻahu is that we are a heavily urbanized area and the cost of road maintenance is higher than on our Neighbor Islands.”

Department of Consumer Services Director Kimberly Hashiro 

 that the city and county would lose a significant amount of revenue dedicated to the City’s critical transportation infrastructure. This could impact the maintenance and repair of public roads and highways, installation, maintenance, replacement and repair of street lights and power, traffic control on public highways and streets, mass transit and the improvement, repair and maintenance of bikeways.

Councilmember Esther Kiaʻaina expressed concerns about the loss in revenue and voted with reservation and asked if the council could tailor the exemption to kupuna.

The City and County of Honolulu currently allows Oʻahu veterans ages 65 years and older to have a $20 county motor vehicle registration fee exemption.

Dalam Kam said Wednesday afternoon that he would like to see the council ensure affordable travel options for public transit users.

Cody Sula, of the Hawaiʻi Ironworkers Stabilization Fund, said that the lower tax could make Hawaiʻi more affordable for residents.

“When you have a family, when you have multiple vehicles, that $45 to $60 can add up,” he said.

Rep. Darius Kila said that while some residents may not have an issue paying the motor vehicle weight tax, affordability is a real concern for his constituents who have no practical alternative to get to work and school.

Oʻahu Metro Planning Organization opposes the bill, writing that the reduction in revenue could impact the City and County of Honoluluʻs ability to implement projects in the Oʻahu Regional Transportation Plan 2050 and the Transportation Improvement Program.

“Stable and flexible local funding is essential to advancing ORTP 2050 goals, including maintaining a safe, resilient, and multimodal transportation system. Reductions in county revenue may delay or constrain critical investments in roadway maintenance, complete streets, and safety improvements,” the organization wrote.

Oʻahu Metro Planning Organization also expressed concern that the lower vehicle weight tax could incentivize residents to purchase and use heavier vehicles, which could contribute to increased road wear and increased safety risks.

Ted Kefalas, of Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi, wrote in support of the bill.

“This measure will make transportation more affordable for Honolulu residents struggling with high gas prices. Saving $45 will not be a make or break most residents, but it will help mitigate the affordability crisis that most people deal with everyday,” he said.

Tommy Waters

<title>Honolulu City Council considers lowering motor vehicle weight tax</title>

Bill 47, proposed by Chair Tommy Waters, aims to lower the motor vehicle weight tax by 1.5 cents per pound.

Honolulu City Council considers lowering motor vehicle weight tax

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

The Best of Hawaiʻi’s Best Kitchens event

 is coming up Saturday, Aug. 29, at Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa. 

 ($300 each) are still available for the event; individuals must be age 21 years or older to attend.

This year’s event theme is “The Next Chapter,” according to 

Darrell J. Chock, owner of Viper Group Media

 and creator of The Best of Hawaiʻi’s Best Kitchens event.

“What I’m looking forward to most this year is seeing The Best of Hawaiʻi's Best Kitchens continue to evolve beyond a culinary gala,” he says. “With our new HBK Philanthropic Partners initiative, we’re bringing together culinary, community, and connection while giving smaller organizations an opportunity to be part of a premier gala experience and raise awareness and support for the work they do.”

Reserved tables, reserved high-top tables and elite tickets holders receive early entry at 6 p.m.; general admission starts at 7 p.m. 

Self-parking ($10) or valet parking ($15) will be available at the resort.

Participating restaurants (subject to change) include:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Adez Steakhouse & Lounge"}]

: Tomahawk “wagyu” seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper; smoke pork marinated in shoyu and ginger; sauce trio (kalbi marinade, kitsami wasabi shoyu and Hawaiian chili pepper dry rub)

: Tagliatelle ai ricci di mare (fresh housemade tagliatelle pasta with uni, garlic and white wine tomato cream sauce)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Dean & Deluca Hawaiʻi"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hinata Hawaiʻi"}]

: Garlic ‘ahi hand roll (house spicy ‘ahi mixed with garlic sauce, topped with garlic chips and green onions); spicy ‘ahi hand roll (house spicy ‘ahi mixed with truffle pate, topped with garlic chips and green onions)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"HMS Host by Avolta"}]

: Grilled wagyu hot dog, sweet coconut rice, Prunier Osetra caviar and chives

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Luna Events & Catering"}]

: Barbecue brisket with homemade kimchi slaw; homemade oyster bar inspired by seafood pan roast, served with rice; Vietnamese fruit cocktail with lychee, longan, jackfruit, coconut jelly, grass jelly and chestnut tapioca jellies; pandan and rambutan; Vietnamese lemongrass chicken meatballs served with Nuoc cham sauce and pickled vegetables; wagyu chazuke

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Maile’s Thai Bistro"}]

: Lao poke served on rice paper chips; tapioca dessert with fresh fruits

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Memoirs Hawaiʻi"}]

: Seared polenta cake with truffles crème fraiche, arugula salad topped with Imperial Osetra caviar

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pop Culture Artisan Pops"}]

: Handcrafted frozen dessert made with organic strawberries, tropical guava nectar and fresh cream

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Solera Waikīkī"}]

: Kuroshio Kona kampachi, black dashi, yuzu, charred chile and ginger lime

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Buffet at Hyatt"}]

: Torched garlic miso aioli salmon, thin sliced cabbage with pickled ginger vinaigrette, furikake and unagi drizzle

Best of Hawaiis Best Kitchens 2026 Solera dish 081226

<title>Save the date for The Best of Hawaiʻi’s Best Kitchens event</title>

The 11th annual event is coming up Saturday, Aug. 29, at Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa. Attendees can look forward to specialty dishes from restaurants like Adez Steakhouse & Lounge, Arancino Ristorante Italiano, The Buffet at Hyatt, Solera Waikīkī and more.

Save the date for The Best of Hawaiʻi’s Best Kitchens event

, thanks to a Tokyo restaurant — will be available soon in Honolulu.

, known for its Japanese-style hamburger steak, is launching its new sizzling skillet washugyu burgers this Friday, Aug. 14. The restaurant opened in Kaimukī last November.

The burgers feature a different patty from the eatery’s hamburger steak platters. They’re made with 100% washugyu patties, which feature a hybrid of Japanese and American beef.

The burgers are made to order — choose from single ($22.80) or double patties ($25.80) — then finished in either sizzling brown butter or sizzling Gorgonzola cheese and placed in a skillet.

Choose from classic, teriyaki, wasabi mayo or gorgonzola burgers. Burgers can be ordered a la carte or as combo sets ($25.80-$28.80).

Combo sets include French fries and a drink (Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke or coffee), along with soy garlic black pepper mayo for dipping the fries.

Customers can also add extra toppings for an additional charge. Options include a sunny side-up egg ($1.90), garlic chips ($1.50), avocado ($3.50), bacon ($1.90) and pickled jalapenos ($1.50).

The sizzling skillet burgers will be available daily for dine-in and takeout, but the skillet presentation is only available for dine-in.

Open from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. for lunch, 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner

Marujuu Hawaii manager 081126

<title>Marujuu is launching sizzling skillet washugyu burgers</title>

The Kaimukī eatery, known for its Japanese-style hamburger steaks, is launching its new sizzling skillet washugyu burgers this Friday, Aug. 14. Burgers are made with 100% washugyu patties and come in flavors like classic, teriyaki, wasabi mayo and Gorgonzola.

Marujuu is launching sizzling skillet washugyu burgers

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Hawai‘i History

, a Hawaiian scholar who developed and taught cultural curriculum at Punahou School from 1936 to 1941, the school’s 

 are rooted in being “children of Ka Punahou, the new spring.”

Pukui recognized then the school’s future as a “spring of wisdom. As the hala tree stands firm through wind or storm, so shall the children of this school stand strong and brave through joy and sorrow. And just as the hala tree has many uses, so shall these children be useful to Hawai‘i.”

Fluent in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, she went on to grow Punahou’s Hawaiian Studies program alongside Jane Lathrop Winne and later worked at Kamehameha Schools and Bishop Museum, in addition to publishing more than 50 works, including the “

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings

.” Pukui devoted her life to preserving and perpetuating Hawaiian language, oral hisory, mele, hula, cultural traditions and practices, and more.

Fittingly, the first day of the 2026-27 school year at Punahou on Tuesday marked the official opening of the 

, which is named in her honor and breathes new life into the school’s former Cooke Library, which was originally built in 1908 and last reconstructed in 1964. According to the school, the historic library’s terrazzo wall, among other architectural features, “have been restored or incorporated into the new design.”

The structure itself has multiple entryways, with one entrance facing Ka Punahou, its namesake natural spring.

“When I was a student, I studied in this building and spent time learning here,” Punahou President Mike Latham, a 1986 graduate of the school, told Aloha State Daily. “As you can imagine, the purpose and function of libraries have changed quite a bit in the past 60 years — the way we store information and knowledge, the way that we teach, the way that we help students learn how to do research.

“We wanted to develop a facility, which would allow us to engage in a lot more collaborative and project based learning, where students are able to draw knowledge from different fields, and they can apply it to authentic real-world challenges and problems. That was really at the heart of the work that we're doing.”

The new, two-level center spans more than 53,000 square feet, and was designed by Honolulu-based 

, which was founded by Punahou alum, Pip White, and is currently led by 

 was the general contractor for the project, which began construction permitting in 2023.

Latham said the Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons is intended for students to engage with each other, teachers and staff, as well as community partners on research and innovation.

“In our professional lives, we are constantly doing collaborative work. Very rarely do we work entirely alone. And we wanted a building that really supported that kind of collaborative engagement by students and that created problem solving,” Latham told ASD. “It's really fundamental to the kind of education that we want to deliver. It's fundamental to the kind of work that Mary Kawena Pukui herself did, especially at Bishop Museum. I mean, she was constantly in collaboration with historians, anthropologists, linguists, archaeologists. ... She's a hallmark for what we're seeking to accomplish.

“This is a building that both looks into the past and draws inspiration from that past. But it's very much about preparing students for a world that's rapidly changing. And the forces of technology, AI, global interconnection, they really require that we think carefully about what students need to be able to do and learn to get ready for higher education, but also for this future workplace.”

The facility features a nearly 27,000 library book collection and expanded archives with a climate-controlled vault; a “History Wall,” or photo timeline connecting past and present; an extended reality design lab with technological capabilities for artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality; a teaching kitchen headed by local chef Mark Noguchi and outdoor garden space growing ʻulu, kalo, ʻuala (sweet potato) and hōʻiʻo (fern); an art gallery; and indoor and outdoor learning spaces.

Latham mentioned the significance of the two-story “History Wall” that “goes back to [Punahou’s] earlier days,” as a tool to "reflect on almost 200 years of history.”

“This building is the home of our archival collections ... and this intersection of two gifts; a Hawaiian commitment to knowledge, to reciprocity, to cultural exchange; and a missionary commitment to education,” he said, “Out of that shared heritage of [blending] Hawaiian and Christian heritage together, what complements that is the fact that Punahou becomes a home for people from all over the world, who come here, find a home, and ultimately, become part of the shared work that they do together.”

Latham added: “Every kid at Punahou, kindergarten through sixth grade, now studies Hawaiian language, which we're really proud of. Every student at Punahou takes a Hawaiian history course as a graduation requirement. Hawaiian is one of the major languages that we offer to all of our high school-level students. And I think we have in a far more intentional way come to recognize and embrace that part of our history, which also goes hand in hand with naming this signature academic building after such a prominent native Hawaiian scholar 

 it's a recognition of who she was and what she did for Punahou, but what she did more broadly for the entire state.”

He said last week that a number of Pukui's descendants, including her grandson, Laʻakea Suganuma, attended the building’s blessing ceremony and groundbreaking and was expected to be present at its opening celebration on Friday, Aug. 7.

The Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons also meets 

 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification standard, with a rooftop photovoltaic system, rain gardens, water-efficient landscaping that uses native plants, and more.

Looking ahead, Latham said that he hopes that the new building will be used for not only student and teacher development, but also the broader community to continue to build relationships with donors and the state Department of Education, for example, among other partners.

“It's a project that further integrates the scope of our campus itself,” he said. “We're fortunate to have this very beautiful 76-acre campus here in Mānoa, and this building brings the campus together in a way that's really, really exciting.”

Fundraising for the project is still ongoing. Learn more 

Punahou School is the largest private K-12 school on a single campus in the country, with more than 3,755 students currently enrolled. The school’s tuition for the 2026-27 school year is $34,230, though, it has a $11.1 million budget annually for financial aid, which is dispersed to about a quarter of the student population, 

. Latham confirmed that the average award per student is around $12,000.

When asked what he’s been learning lately as a leader, Latham told ASD that having a clear sense of mission and purpose is “essential.”

That’s what first got his attention when conducting more research about Mary Kawena Pukui for the naming of this building.

“[Pukui said] that ‘Knowledge to me is life.’ ... If we can't do everything possible to preserve Hawaiian culture, what will happen to Hawaiʻi? What would Hawaiʻi be like without Hawaiian culture? What then? And so, I think her her sense of commitment and dedication, you know, we often talk about this idea of kuleana, or responsibility or duty. For her, there was a clear North Star. She knew what she was trying to accomplish. And it became her life's work,” he said. “Your mission should matter. And having a clear and compelling mission, which you're proud of, which is resonant, comes back to that idea of a North Star.”

Punahou Learning Commons student on lanai

<title>Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons unveiled at Punahou School</title>

The new center, named after the Hawaiian historian and scholar who taught at Punahou in the 1930s, replaces the school’s former Cooke Library. Aloha State Daily sat down with President Mike Latham to learn more about Pukui’s history at Punahou and in the broader community, as well as how her legacy continues to shape the next generation of students.

Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons unveiled at Punahou School

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Columnists

From the First Congressional District to the House and the Senate to the lieutenant governor's race, many of the most pivotal elections of this year will be decided within Democratic Party’s primaries. 

We’re a heavily Democratic state. I know that. You know that. We know that.

I’ve often wondered how that came to be the case. To answer that question, my default setting is history. History gets you answers if you know where to look. It’s not for nostalgia’s sake alone that history is useful. More often than not, history reveals the true location of present-day problems. 

In a local history class, you’ll be taught (maybe) that there was a Democratic ‘Revolution’ in November 1954. It was like the local version of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Rural Democrats organized by the ILWU from across the Neighbor Islands combined with urbanite Democrats in Honolulu to successfully seize control of both houses of the Territorial Legislature. 

The Democrats established a beachhead in the Legislature, one that they steadily reinforced until they effectively consolidated control over all branches of state government in the ’60s. Such consolidated power is where we are likely to remain in 2026.

So 1954 is the beginning of that history, but what made the Democratic Party so appealing in 1954?

To answer that question, I started to search for a document that’s not easily findable online. In fact, finding the document required me to scan newspaper archives in the hopes of finding a stray copy printed in an edition. 

Even seasoned politicos have never read the document. However, I’d argue it remains one of the most political documents in the last century of Hawai‘i’s history.

It’s a statement that rationalizes the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i’s right to power and their vision for the future, at least in 1954. The future, in 1954, was full of so much promise. There was so much to build in Hawai‘i. 

It is the 1954 Platform of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. I found a copy, which I’ve transcribed and left 

It’s a bombastic document that hails the Democratic Party as “the greatest political party in the world today.” I don’t know if I’d agree with such a statement, or whether even Democrats would agree with such a statement today. 

Beyond that one bombastic statement, however, I was surprised by the document’s tone. It is not about a person’s rights alone, but what a person is expected to be able to do with the rights they attain. People should be able to get an education, work a decent job, have a home, and start a business. In 1954, the Democratic Party wanted to make it easier for residents to do those things. The Democratic Party wanted to build a Hawai‘i where people would be able to live the lives they deserved to live. 

The platform of 1954 makes commitments on statehood, taxation, small business and home ownership, land ownership and economic development, education, labor, home rule, the rights and obligations of individuals, and health and welfare. Some of the commitments feel especially relevant to a young person concerned with the viability of Hawai‘i as a place with a future.

Many sections feel foreign, if only because their ideas seem to run contrary to the general state of affairs in our time. On small business and home ownership, for instance, it pledges to “provide financial assistance from the Territory to encourage” small business, independent, farming, ranching and home construction. It also pledges to “repeal existing laws which discriminate against” small-scale enterprises. 

Government needed to let small business boom. People deserved to be able to build homes. Fallow agricultural land needed to be brought into production by local people.

It’s a document built on a person’s access to opportunity – and their ability to build out a better place. Such sentiments are not partisan, and perhaps that’s where the Democratic Party Platform of 1954 is not a very partisan document.

1954 remains important, if not for any particularly romantic reason. The 1954 Democratic Party Platform is therefore refreshing because it is not a romantic document. It is idealistic, but as a political proclamation, it is also measured. 

You may not be a Democrat. However, any resident of Hawai‘i is the figurative (and even literal, for a few) descendant of the Hawai‘i imagined in the words of the 1954 Democratic Party Platform. Our politics, culture, economics, and society is framed by a party which came to power in 1954 on the principles of that platform.

The 1954 Platform is concise. Perhaps it also remains a vision for Hawai‘i’s future. The current 

 of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, in contrast, is nearly three times as long as the 1954 platform. 

The 1954 Platform was a sober and responsible document. Hawai‘i would benefit from such sober and responsible concision in 2026. 

Spark Matsunaga Patsy Mink Lyndon B Johnson John Burns Daniel Inouye 1966 A1901 36 A

<title>What Hawai‘i’s 1954 Democratic Party platform says about today</title>

Hawai‘i has been a virtual one-party state since statehood, but how did that happen? ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith explores how, with a look at the local Democratic Party's 1954 platform and a comparison with the party's current priorities.

What Hawai‘i’s 1954 Democratic Party platform says about today

 at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach, recently launched a new afternoon tea menu.

The venue’s urban picnic-style afternoon tea menu changes a few times a year. This seasonal menu started last month and highlights locally sourced Hawaiian ingredients through French-inspired techniques and dishes.

The five-course menu costs $59 per person — a $54 kamaʻāina rate is available with a valid Hawai

i State-issued photo I.D. — and afternoon tea is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays.

The experience starts with your choice of hot or cold teas. Choose from hot teas like hibiscus wild, green tea, spicy chai and more.

The first two courses include a cheese and herbs scone — served with housemade jam and whipped mascarpone — and an Okinawan sweet potato vichyssoise. The latter features a velvety vichyssoise with Hawaiian Okinawan sweet potatoes and topped with housemade sweet potato chips.

This version of vichyssoise — traditionally a thick, creamy French-style soup — is chilled, lighter and refreshing.

[{"type":"text","text":"The savory course features six bite-sized dishes:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The dessert course includes a variety of tropical treats:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The tea concludes with a locally made hibiscus lime sorbet."}]

Reservations for the afternoon tea can be made via OpenTable. The Artisan Loft’s new afternoon tea menu will be available for the next several months.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach

Afternoon tea at The Artisan Loft is from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays

Dean and Deluca savory 080626

<title>Dean & Deluca Hawaiʻi has a new afternoon tea menu</title>

The Artisan Loft, located upstairs in Dean & Deluca Hawaiʻi at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach, recently launched a new afternoon tea menu. The urban picnic-style afternoon tea menu debuted last month, and features savory and sweet options like furikake-seared ‘ahi, ube mont blanc tarts, mango cheesecakes and more.

Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Friday, May 15, 2026

Authors

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