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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"There are two types of people in the morning..."}]

Smile 26 5 25

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, May 25, 2026</title>

There are two types of people in the morning...

Daily Smile: Monday, May 25, 2026

 There are two types of people in the morning...

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

A popular Pā‘ia eatery is a legend — at least according to Only in Your State’s newest 50 Best list.

Mama’s Fish House on Maui was include on the list of 

50 Legendary Local Restaurants Across the U.S. You Need to Try

 does something no other restaurant does: it lists the name of the fisherman who caught each fish on the menu," Only in Your State writes. "Macadamia nut-crusted mahimahi, Polynesian-inspired preparations and a setting that makes every meal feel like a ceremony."

According to its website, the family-owned restaurant is "the product of a grand sailing adventure." Founders Floyd and Doris Christenson and their children settled in Maui after living in the and traveling around the Pacific by boat, a history on the website notes. You can read their full story 

799 Poho Place in Pā‘ia. More information about the restaurant and reservations can be found 

 is a “local travel and discovery resource” that highlights “off-the-beaten-path attractions and unique natural wonders” of each state. 

 is a monthly series that spotlights the best dishes, restaurants and food traditions across the U.S.

, Sprout Sandwich Shop in Kaimukī was named the 

 in Hawai‘i, and in February, the kam bowl oxtail soup from Asahi Grill was named the best soup in the state on the list of 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

I Stock Maui map 052126

<title>Maui eatery included on 'legendary' best-of list</title>

Only in Your State’s newest 50 Best list looks at 'Legendary Local Restaurants Across the U.S.' A popular Pā‘ia restaurant is included.

Maui eatery included on 'legendary' best-of list

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Government & Politics

Columnists

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Ben Sasse is bleeding from the face."}]

He’s seated across from New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, 

, and he pauses to note it. He’s dying of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. One side effect of the treatment is that his body can’t grow skin.

“Yeah, you look terrible,” says Douthat.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"“Thank you,” says Sasse with a smile."}]

Since his diagnosis, Sasse has appeared on 

 stage, and a parade of podcasts. He uses the time to say what most politicians never dare to.

He talks about faith. He quotes R.C. Sproul. He discusses Tocqueville with the ease of someone who has actually read him.

Sasse is a two-term Republican Senator from Nebraska, a Harvard graduate, a Yale PhD in History. He voted to impeach Donald Trump and took the consequences. Though popular with voters in his home state, he left the Senate to serve as President of the University of Florida.

Now he spends his last days making one argument: American political life has gone badly wrong. Not because the wrong party is winning. Because the whole enterprise has lost its bearings.

Sasse starts with something most politicians would rather ignore: the pace of technological change. Previous economic transformations — industrialization, electrification — unfolded across generations. This one won’t. Robotics and automation will wipe out whole careers within a single working life.

Sasse sees a second shift: disembodied consciousness, the way screens let people leave their world. Families are breaking apart. Communities are dissolving. The local ties — churches, civic groups, the small-scale institutions Edmund Burke called “little platoons” — that help people absorb hard times are being stripped away. The formation of souls and citizens is at risk, and government is mostly ignoring it in favor of clickbait and rage.

He thinks our loves should be ordered, first to God, then to those nearest us, rippling outward from family to neighborhood to state to nation. Caring about a national political party more than your own community isn’t just confused. It’s a disorder of affection.

What’s true of the nation is true in Hawai'i. The legislature introduces three thousand bills a year. How many of those take the large challenges seriously? The demographic shifts, the cost pressures squeezing local families, the slow hemorrhage of young people off the Islands? The floor speeches and press releases gesture toward these problems, but the lawmaking doesn’t match the problem.

Sasse’s example suggests why. He can sit for an hour-long interview on dense political and theological matters because he has a clear philosophy — a disciplined way of working through problems. It also gives him the power to persuade, which is the precondition for coordinated action.

The founders studied rhetoric and philosophy with the same care they gave the law, because republican government runs on argument and clear speech. Most of Hawai‘i’s lawmakers couldn’t sustain an interview like Sasse’s, and the laws show it. There’s no clear direction. No will to rally the public. Few signs that anyone has thought hard about what government is for. What fills the vacuum is performance: press releases, floor speeches written for social media, outrage timed to the news cycle.

Sasse has a simple framework for what a coherent politics looks like. He describes four ways of valuing government, measured in cheers. No-cheer people — hardcore libertarians — don’t understand that government exists to secure liberty. Three-cheer people believe in a state that controls everything. Republicans, he says, are the one-cheer party. Democrats are the two-cheer party. Each has an extreme wing. Hawai‘i’s loudest voices are at the extremes.

What we lack are the one-cheer leaders: those who see government as necessary but flawed, able to secure order but not to deliver salvation.

Government should do a small number of important things well. It should get out of the way of the little platoons. It should never present itself as the path to utopia. Hawai‘i’s government casting itself as humanity’s last best hope has always been faintly comic.

Sasse’s sharpest line comes when he describes what voters already sense about the way their leaders talk.

They know it’s bullshit, he says — and they don’t want to be lied to. Why can’t politics do a small number of important, long-term things?

There is something clarifying about a man making that argument while bleeding from the face. He has no election to win, no caucus to protect, and by his own reckoning, weeks or months to live. What he’s chosen to do with his time is sit down and think hard about what government is and isn’t for, and what we’ve lost by confusing the two.

In watching Ben Sasse die, Hawai‘i might learn something about how to live.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Ben Sasse Getty Images 1231346544

<title>Ben Sasse is dying in public</title>

The former U.S. senator from Nebraska is talking about big ideas everywhere he can as pancreatic cancer takes his life. Hawai‘i's politicians could learn from what he has to say about government doing fewer things well, says ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa.

Ben Sasse is dying in public

Last week, State Sen. Brenton Awa rose on the Senate floor. He clarified that the Senate doesn’t “condone violence.” Then he held up a letter of recognition for “Mister Ambassador of Aloha.” The commendation was intended for a shirtless man recorded beating a tourist on Maui. The tourist had been filmed earlier throwing a rock at a monk seal.

The clip of Awa’s remarks has been viewed 29.3 million times on his 

. In the chamber where laws are made, a sitting senator stood to commend a man for a beating.

The tourist was wrong. That part isn’t in dispute. Throwing a rock at a protected animal earns charges, and ought to. The question is why a senator commended the man who beat him.

Awa represents State Senate District 23, which includes Kāneʻohe and the rural areas of the North Shore, including Kahaluʻu through Lāʻie, Kahuku to Mokulēʻia. It is one of the most conservative and religious districts in the state, with a significant presence of Christians and Mormons. Though they differ on major theological issues, they share most moral commitments. Many of them read Scripture and try to live by it.

Paul tells the Roman church plainly: never avenge yourselves, for vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He will repay. He says this in Romans chapter 12. In the next chapter he describes the magistrate as the servant of God who carries the sword on God’s behalf. The magistrate is the appointed avenger of wrath against the wrongdoer. Awa sits in the office Paul describes. To commend a man for taking justice into his own hands is to undercut the office God established to do that work.

A reader may reply that the justice system fails locals, that private justice is what’s left when the courts won’t act. There are two answers. The first is that the system was working. The whole state was outraged. The tourist was being identified and pursued. The vigilante did not help. He committed a crime of his own, and gave the tourist a grievance to point to.

The second answer is older. Vigilante justice doesn’t end disorder. It feeds it. Shakespeare worked this out in Verona, and the Capulets and Montagues are not a model anyone wants for Hawaiʻi. Due process is the rope that pulls communities out of that pit.

The seal speech was not a stray moment. Awa brought a polygraph to the floor during the $35,000 paper bag scandal. He has made props a feature of his floor speeches. He posted a video walking viewers to Rep. Linda Ichiyama’s office after she killed his bill prohibiting foreign ownership of land, and she received death threats. His congressional campaign website celebrates his record of voting no more than any other legislator. The posture is consistent: media first, lawmaking second.

A rock thrown at a seal and the beating of a tourist got Awa to stand and speak. The everyday violence in Hawaiʻi — robberies, killings, home invasions — has not moved him the same way. Neither has abortion, though his Christian and Mormon constituents care about it as deeply as any voters in the state. Awa casts his no votes and counts them on his campaign website. But a ceremonial no vote does not save a life.

He has a platform few legislators command. He could use it to speak about the issues his district cares about. He has chosen to use it to glorify lawless violence.

Moral leadership in a minority caucus is possible. It starts with respect for the office, since God has established it. The slow work of building coalitions and passing bills must follow, since social media clips don’t affect statutes. Underneath all of this lies the harder discipline of applying Christian conviction even-handedly. It must name the sins of allies as readily as opponents, the populist right as readily as the progressive left. A lawmaker who held those things together would be doing something that all of Hawaiʻi has been waiting for.

On opening day this session, Awa quoted James: “Be quick to listen and slow to speak.” He should have taken his own advice. Later in that 

, he told his colleagues, “We can accomplish impossible feats just by showing aloha. In other words, the next time you’re feeling like throwing blows, throw aloha.”

Awa upscaled

<title>'Mister ambassador of aloha'</title>

It's a bad look for the word "aloha" when it's used to commend a vigilante beat down, as state Sen. Brenton Awa did last week, says ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa.

'Mister ambassador of aloha'

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

“Paper Bag Plan,” an independent film

, who grew up on O’ahu, just started streaming internationally 

on iTunes, Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play.

 shares the story of Oscar, a father diagnosed with cancer, who seeks independence for his wheelchair-bound son, Billy.

The film’s executive producer grew up in Kaʻaʻawa and graduated from Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa before moving to the Mainland and working her way up to 

co-executive producer of “America’s Got Talent.”

“We are streaming around the world,” she told Aloha State Daily. “We're everywhere where iTunes is [and] Amazon, YouTube and Google Play, for now.”

The film will also be appearing on Xumo in the near future, after a deal was finalized today, she told ASD.  

“Paper Bag Plan” was written and directed by her husband, Anthony Lucero, who was inspired to share this story after watching his mother and sister raise disabled children. 

Viewers are already writing in to share their reaction to the film.

“People just message us on our site, and we've got some really great emails coming in from parents and families — and people around the world,” she said. “They’re saying thank you for making this movie. We just had someone write last night saying ‘You made a movie about my family'.“

The film has already gotten some attention on social media. That includes a repost on Instagram from Jennifer Aniston, who has 44.5 million followers.

“It just feels good that finally, this little movie that we made — a few years ago — now everyone can see it,” Lucero said.

It has won awards at 17 film festivals, Lucero added. Having it screen in front of live audiences in different cities helped Lucero and her husband get a better idea of how people would respond to scenes. In fact, the duo made some edits based on audience reactions before creating the final version, which is now streaming on international platforms.

Analytics for how many people have watched so far weren’t immediately available, she said.

“We kept our pricing for the rental low,” she said. “And we did that because we wanted the families that we care about that — that we made this movie for — we wanted them to be able to watch it and not be like, ‘Oh my gosh, it's so expensive.’ So that's why we did that.”

For platforms like Amazon, the split is 50-50 between the streaming platform and the filmmakers, she said. The filmmakers then pay fees to the distributors and actors, she said.

 (starts at $2.99 for standard definition) and 

Paper Bag Plan

<title>'Paper Bag Plan' streams internationally</title>

This independent film from Keʻalohi Lee Lucero, an executive producer who grew up in Kaʻaʻawa, written and directed by her husband, Anthony Lucero, is now streaming on four major platforms. Find out where you can watch the film and what viewers are saying.

'Paper Bag Plan' streams internationally

Real Estate

Situated above the Pacific Ocean along Hawai‘i Island’s Hāmākua Coast, the aptly named Hāmākua Hotel is for sale with a $10 million asking price.

 is located about 20 minutes north of Hilo on 3.4 fee simple acres at 28-3514 Hawai‘i Belt Road in Honomū. According to 

, it’s the only permitted hotel along the 55-mile Hāmākua coastline.

The hotel operated as a bed-and-breakfast called Palms Cliff House for 25 years, 

. It was acquired by Eric and Lori Lochtefeld during the Covid-19 pandemic and, for a few years, was used as their home and to host private retreats, the site states. But an anniversary trip to Italy in the summer of 2023 inspired the couple to transform the property into a luxury hotel “with a focus on great culinary and storytelling.”

The property underwent a $2.5 million renovation completed in 2024, which added an infinity-edge pool and spa barn, upgraded guest rooms and modernized infrastructure, the listing notes. Meanwhile, “an exclusive option to acquire 22 contiguous acres unlocks the ability to create a 25.5-acre oceanfront estate with nearly one mile of coastline.”

Kevin Aucello, principal with Powell & Aucello, a Honolulu-based hotel brokerage and consulting firm, has listed the property. In an email to Aloha State Daily, he says that now the hotel is operating smoothly, the owner “understands that new ownership and fresh ideas will help the property continue evolving while also giving him the flexibility to pursue other interests.”

It's not often that a property of this nature becomes available.

“Oceanfront, fee-simple hotels in Hawai‘i almost never come to market — especially those nestled on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, a setting that makes this offering even more exceptional,” Aucello says. “Being the only permitted hotel along this coastline further underscores its rarity.”

When asked about the visitor demand for hotels like this on Hawai‘i Island, Aucello answers the question with one of his own: “Who wouldn’t want to stay in a boutique hotel that feels like it belongs in ‘Architectural Digest’ — a place perched above the Pacific, where every meal feels intentional, personal and deeply connected to Hawai‘i?

“Travelers today aren’t just looking for a bed, they’re looking for moments,” he continued. “And when a hotel pairs incredible design with cuisine that honors local ingredients and the island’s food culture, it creates the kind of memories people come back for year after year.”

Aucello says that demand for boutique hotels that offer “this level of authenticity, setting and culinary craft,” has long outpaced the supply on the Big island.

“Guests are drawn to properties that feel rooted in place — where the views, the architecture and even the meals tell a story,” he says. “Those are the hotels that consistently outperform and build loyal followings.”

And from an investor’s perspective, Aucello says interest is just as strong.

“Boutique hotels are a rare niche with high barriers to entry and limited inventory,” he continued. “But what truly sets this segment apart is the type of buyer it attracts. These opportunities don’t typically draw private equity or institutional money — they resonate with hoteliers who have an entrepreneurial spirit, people who love the craft of hospitality and want to shape something unique and meaningful.”

According to Aucello, the property’s 2024 renovation and reopening as Hāmākua Hotel created a “turnkey opportunity with immediate operating momentum.”

“It’s an ideal investment for an individual, couple or entrepreneurial group looking to own a truly distinctive luxury boutique hotel — one that blends lifestyle appeal with strong guest demand,” he says. “It’s also a small enough operation that a new owner can immediately infuse their personality, creative ideas and vision into the guest experience, something rarely possible in larger hospitality assets.

“At the same time, the property is perfectly suited for a small luxury brand seeking to expand its presence in Hawai‘i, offering a rare combination of oceanfront positioning, thoughtful design and personalized hospitality that aligns with experiential luxury.”

Daily Smile: Monday, May 25, 2026

ASD Staff

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