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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Give this guy extra treats..."}]

Smile 26 5 22

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, May 22, 2026</title>

Give this guy extra treats...

Daily Smile: Friday, May 22, 2026

[{"type":"text","text":"Happy 4th of July!"}]

Smile 26 7 4

<title>Daily Smile: Saturday, July 4, 2026</title>

Happy 4th of July!

Daily Smile: Saturday, July 4, 2026

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 — known for its lobster rolls — just started a new breakfast menu. Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays to Sundays.

“We felt like in Mānoa, there aren’t a lot of places that had a local-style breakfast, so we wanted to offer that,” says chef/owner Jon Matsubara. “We serve breakfast all day at The Park on Keʻeaumoku; we serve our loco moco and corned beef hash. A lot of people buy it for dinner, so we’re doing breakfast all day.”

While customers can still get the eatery’s signature loco moco plate ($20) — wagyu beef hamburger steak, mushroom gravy, farm eggs and rice — and chef-made corned beef hash ($20-$22) at the Mānoa store, this location has a variety of exclusive breakfast options.

No Feast experience would be complete without the eatery’s signature lobster roll. Customers can opt for the lobster roll and eggs ($35) or lobster omelet ($35).

“It’s a quarter pound of lobster (in the omelet); it’s the same size as our lobster rolls,” Matsubara says. “Our corned beef hash is 10 to 12 ounces of corned beef; our loco moco has a homemade patty and gravy.”

Of the new breakfast dishes, the Hawaiian hammah ($24) has quickly become a customer favorite. The plate includes thick-cut bacon, Portuguese sausage, kalua pig, mushroom gravy, two eggs and rice.

The eatery’s “churro” French toast ($18), topped with Alae salt, maple butter, strawberries, graham “crack” and whipped cream, has also been popular — especially for those who prefer sweeter breakfast entrees.

“Our French toast is something different,” Matsubara says. “We do a churro-style with fresh berries and a maple butter. We call it (the topping) graham ‘crack’ because it's addictive; we use brown butter, vanilla and salt (to make it).”

If you want something more unique, go for chef Jon’s salmon chazuke ($22). The dish features Misoyaki salmon with rice and dashi, pickled ginger and scallions; it’s ideal if you want something lighter, yet flavorful and filling.

The eatery’s Island breakfast wrap ($14) consists of slow-roasted kalua pig, egg, cheese and crispy potatoes. It’s served with Guajillo sauce on the side, which is known for its vibrant color and smoky flavor. 

The eatery’s lunch menu starts at 11 a.m.; Matsubara encourages the community to “come support local.”

“It’s getting tougher and tougher in this economy,” Matsubara says. “I think more than ever, all the small businesses and small restaurants, we need the support.”

Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays

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FEAST chef Jon Matsubara 062626

<title>Feast by Jon Matsubara has a new local-style breakfast</title>

The Mānoa eatery — known for its lobster rolls — is offering breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays. Customers can look forward to dishes like lobster omelets, salmon chazuke, "churro” French toast, kalua pig loco moco and more.

Feast by Jon Matsubara has a new local-style breakfast

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

A man’s blurted apology to a police officer arresting him has overturned his conviction for assaulting that officer, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court decided.

Henry Tolentino told a Honolulu Police officer “I’m sorry, I was just trying to get a Zip Pac” one night in September 2019.

The officer had pulled Tolentino over for speeding, but after Tolentino left his vehicle, the traffic stop escalated into a brief pursuit: Tolentino fled, the officer followed, and Tolentino reportedly kicked and punched the officer in the struggle. In turn, the officer reportedly punched Tolentino in the face repeatedly to subdue him until a second officer reached the pair and ended the scuffle.

As the officers handcuffed Tolentino, he reflexively said his apology. But, as a prosecutor later told a jury, “[he] knew he did something wrong by saying ‘I’m sorry.’”

Tolentino’s “unsolicited excited utterance” was used to suggest admission of guilt and contributed to him being found guilty of second-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor offense for which he was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $155.

Tolentino appealed the ruling, arguing that a reflexively spoken phrase is not admissible in court without proper hearings on whether it was voluntarily made, hearings that did not happen in Tolentino’s case.

The state, meanwhile, argued that “excited utterances” may be involuntary, but not compulsory. That is, because Tolentino was not forced to say “I’m sorry,” it was still admissible, even if he didn’t mean to say it.

Tolentino also protested that prosecutors had stated during his trial that he was drunk during the 2019 incident, using only circumstantial evidence like the smell of alcohol and the redness of his eyes.

But it was the question of the reflexively spoken phrase that reached the Supreme Court. And on Tuesday, the court 

 that the guilty verdict against Tolentino was reached in error.

Writing for the opinion of the court, Associate Justice Todd Eddins concluded that, because there was no evidentiary hearing to determine whether Tolentino’s apology was voluntarily made, his conviction must be vacated and the case remanded for a retrial.

“An inculpatory statement must flow from the defendant’s free and voluntary choice,” Eddins wrote. “Custody or no custody. Interrogation or no interrogation.”

Associate Justice Lisa Ginoza wrote her own opinion partially dissenting with Eddins’ majority opinion. While Ginoza agreed that the lower courts had erred in allowing Tolentino’s apology to be admissible as evidence without an evidentiary hearing, that does not mean the case should be retried right away, she argued.

Only after a voluntariness hearing is conducted that determines Tolentino’s apology was involuntary should the case be retried, which Ginoza said is the constitutionally recognized procedure.

Ginoza added that the majority ruling now requires trial courts to hold voluntariness hearings for any known statement by a defendant that might admit guilt, which she wrote will be “a tremendous burden on our already overburdened trial courts.”

Nonetheless, with the Supreme Court verdict, Tolentino will get a new trial, although a court date has not yet been scheduled.

I Stock 178835830 16x9 Large

<title>Supreme Court: 'I'm sorry' doesn't mean you're guilty</title>

Honolulu man's reflexive apology to a police officer in 2019 shouldn't have been admissible in court, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruled.

Supreme Court: 'I'm sorry' doesn't mean you're guilty

[{"type":"text","text":"Dog says: Nice pool. Who's it for?"}]

Smile 26 6 29

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, June 29, 2026</title>

Dog says: Nice pool. Who's it for?

Daily Smile: Monday, June 29, 2026

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Bishop Clarence “Larry” Silva prayed for joy, love and blessings over Father Michael Castori, whom Pope Leo XIV appointed as his successor. Both were dressed in lei and accompanied by Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general of the Diocese of Honolulu, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Castori, a member of the Society of Jesus, took a moment to thank God, Pope Leo XIV, the Most Rev. Silva, staff of the Diocese of Honolulu and more, who gathered for his official appointment as Bishop-elect on May 6. He recounted getting the news of the appointment two week ago in the “garage of [his] Jesuit community at the time.”

“My initial reaction was shock, followed by the awareness of my unworthiness,” he said, adding that prayer helped guide his decision and bring about peace.

He choked up speaking of his family, recalling summer vacations spent together in the mountains and ocean of California. His parents and two older sisters were all teachers, Castori said.

Prior to accepting this role, he served as rector at the Arrupe Jesuit Residence at Seattle University. During his Jesuit formation, Castori was sent to Fiji to teach at the Pacific Regional Seminary and led to a memorable visit to Tonga in 1993, for which his middle name, Tupou, originates.

When he returned to the Mainland, Castori continued ministry with the Tongan Catholic Chaplaincy in Northern California, noting that his “soul never left the Pacific.”

“This surprising grace in my life enriched my core religious identity,” he said. “Polynesian culture has profoundly deepened my understanding and my living of the spirituality in which I was formed.

“My episcopal motto: ‘E hiki mai kou aupuni.’ [The Lord's Prayer in] Hawaiian. Our Father, thy kingdom come.”

Bishop Silva, 76, submitted his resignation in August 2024 with plans to stay in Hawai

 shared more about the transition process.

“Bishop-elect Michael will not be in charge (right away),” he said. “I’ve been appointed by Rome as the apostolic administrator until his ordination and installation. And at that time, I will happily be the bishop emeritus.” 

The episcopal ordination and installation ceremony for Castori will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, which will be live streamed. The night prior, the church will host evening prayer at 6 p.m., where he will make publicly make his profession of faith, Silva noted.

Speaking directly to Castori, Silva said, “You are inheriting wonderful people. Wonderful priests. Wonderful deacons. … And I am so thankful for all of you.”

Castori will be at a Mass open to the public at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa at 6 p.m. on May 7, to “meet some of the faithful in the diocese,” officials said.

The Diocese of Honolulu is comprised of 6,435 square miles in the State of Hawai

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

[{"type":"text","text":"Aloha State Daily reached out to the Diocese of Honolulu for comment."}]

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Bishop-elect Michael Castori

<title>Bishop-elect Michael Castori appointed as Bishop Larry Silva's successor</title>

Castori, a member of the Society of Jesus, took a moment to thank God, Pope Leo XIV, the Most Rev. Silva, staff of the Diocese of Honolulu and more, who gathered for his official appointment as Bishop-elect on May 6. Bishop Silva, 76, submitted his resignation in August 2024 with plans to stay in Hawaiʻi following the episcopal ordination and installation ceremony for Castori in July.

Bishop-elect Michael Castori appointed as Bishop Larry Silva's successor

Government & Politics

Hawai‘i County residents believe a new county law regulating cell phone towers doesn’t go far enough.

Last week, the Hawai‘i County Council passed a bill that has been in development since February, which sets certain standards for how telecommunications antennas are installed throughout the island.

Among other things, Bill 24 removes the requirement for cell towers to receive a use permit from the county Planning Department, allowing them to be built at the Planning Director’s approval without going through a lengthy public hearing process. It also allows towers to be built in all zoning districts on the island.

In exchange, the bill establishes a series of requirements determining where and how cell towers can be sited within each zoning district. For example, it requires minimum setbacks from all property lines equal to at least 120% of the tower’s height, and at least 600 feet from any residence or school.

These requirements are more stringent than those on O‘ahu, where freestanding antenna towers only have a required setback of at least one-fifth the tower’s height, or, in the case of towers supported by guy wires, equal to its height.

Nonetheless, many Big Islanders felt the new restrictions don’t go far enough. Throughout the bill’s development, testifiers urged the council to approve a version that mandated a 1,200-foot minimum setback.

“Why bring cell towers closer and closer?” said Hāmākua resident Kevin Hill at the council’s June 18 meeting. “Why do we need more and more wireless internet? We don’t need it, not for the benefit of our kids practically, and we don’t need it because of proximity and damage to their bodies. Get it farther away, farther than 600 [feet], farther than 1,200 [feet], put it farther away.”

Cell towers on Hawai‘i Island have been a notoriously prickly subject for years, with new planned constructions almost always generating hours of negative testimony from residents concerned about potential health impacts associated with electromagnetic radiation emitted by the towers.

Currently, no reputable health organization has identified any positive correlation between radiofrequency waves emitted by cell towers and higher cancer risks.

In any case, federal law makes moot such concerns: the Telecommunications Act of 1996 doesn’t allow municipalities to reject applications for cellular infrastructure over radiofrequency health concerns, so long as the infrastructure meets Federal Communications Commission guidelines.

Representatives of multiple telecommunications companies reminded the Hawai‘i County Council of that fact. Both Verizon and AT&T submitted letters to the council expressing concerns about the 600-foot setback requirement, with the Verizon letter arguing that the restrictions are excessive, unnecessary, and limit the ability to develop wireless facilities near where people work and live, “where the demand for reliable wireless service is the greatest.”

The Verizon letter suggested that the 600-foot setback be waived “where no other viable solution is feasible” so that it doesn’t become a de facto prohibition, which would be a violation of federal law.

However, the council voted unanimously to pass on final reading a version of the bill that does not include that waiver.

Daily Smile: Friday, May 22, 2026

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