ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Daily Smile

This is Frank. He was getting checked out at the vet when he decided the appointment was over. Has things to do and places to be...

Smile 26 5 31

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, May 31, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Sunday, May 31, 2026

 This is Frank. He was getting checked out at the vet when he decided the appointment was over. Has things to do and places to be...

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

The Kaua‘i County Council rejected a proposal to acquire land over concerns pesticide contamination.

The council on Wednesday discussed a $138 million 

 including allocations for projects ranging from bridge replacements to playground improvements.

Included among those projects was a proposal to purchase a 

 for about $5 million, where the county would build a vehicle repair shop and storage space for the county’s Transportation Agency.

But Council Chair Mel Rapozo put the brakes on that proposal on Wednesday, saying that the site’s previous life as a manufacturing site for industrial chemicals — county records 

 the site was previously owned by the Brewer Chemical Corp. — has made the area potentially hazardous.

“I’m a little concerned about purchasing the land without knowing up-front what the environmental issues are,” Rapozo said. “Who knows what is sitting in that?”

 by the state Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, which found that a portion of the site to be purchased is considered to be at a medium risk for dioxin contaminants. Dioxins are toxic chemical compounds that are often byproducts of industrial manufacturing processes — including herbicides — that can pollute groundwater and surrounding soils.

One person who testified about the matter, Lonnie Sykos, claimed that Brewer Chemical sold herbicides in the 1970s that were chemically similar to Agent Orange, the herbicide infamous for its use in the Vietnam War — and the long-term health impacts for people exposed to it.

County Managing Director Reiko Matsuyama told the council that an environmental assessment of the site has not been conducted because the property owner — listed in county tax records as Kaua‘i Veterans Express Co. — had not committed to selling to the county until recently.

However, Matsuyama said that the county has reviewed previous environmental reviews of the site and said that none of them picked up anything “above industrial-level contamination.”

But Rapozo said that his own due diligence at the site suggests that the structures at the location contain asbestos, which means that they will be unusable without either an expensive asbestos remediation process or a total teardown and replacement of the structures, either one of which will inflate the cost of the project well above the $5 million initially planned.

Rapozo and other council members seemed blindsided by the entire proposal, saying that they hadn’t been informed of the county’s intent to purchase the land until around April.

“We’re being asked with a very short window to commit to spending the money to purchase the land,” Rapozo said. “Future councils down the road can say no to funding any future developments, but guess what? We’re stuck the land and the cleanup and the monitoring forever.”

Ultimately, the council voted to remove the land purchase from the capital improvement budget bill until the site can be thoroughly evaluated.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

470152297 1002159211940353 2710092670030417636 n

<title>Kaua‘i Council halts land purchase over chemical contamination concerns</title>

A $5 million land purchase for a county auto repair shop drew questions about long-term environmental impacts.

Kaua‘i Council halts land purchase over chemical contamination concerns

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

It's no secret — or surprise — that Toyota Tacomas are popular in the Islands.

In fact, according to Servco Pacific, which has exclusive distributorships of Toyota, Lexus and Subaru in Hawai‘i, it's been the top-selling vehicle in the Islands for 25 years. 

To commemorate that milestone, Servco has unveiled a Hawai‘i-exclusive special edition of the best-selling truck and just 25 will be available statewide, Servco says.

"Hawaiʻi has embraced the Toyota Tacoma as part of its ‘ohana for a quarter of a century,” 

, president and CEO of Servco Pacific Inc

, said in an announcement Friday. "This special edition is our way of saying mahalo to the community that has made this truck the undisputed favorite across the Islands."

The truck comes in the color "mudbath" and comes with a "comprehensive suite of custom components designed to enhance both aesthetics and functionality," the announcement notes.

[{"type":"text","text":"The special build includes:"}]

Dames told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that the goal was to create something that feels "authentically local" and pay tribute to the community that has made the Tacoma the best-selling vehicle for the past 25 years.

"We're excited to see how customers respond because this edition was inspired by the people who drive Tacomas every day in Hawaiʻi," he says. "We know there's a strong sense of pride around the Tacoma locally, and we think many customers will appreciate seeing that connection reflected in a vehicle designed with Hawaiʻi in mind.

"More than anything, we hope it resonates with the communities, families, small business owners, outdoor enthusiasts and longtime Tacoma owners who have helped make the truck such an iconic part of life in Hawaiʻi."

Dames says that the Tacoma's popularity in the Islands goes beyond transportation.

"The truck is incredibly versatile and well-suited to island life. Whether you're heading to work, spending time with family, going to the beach, exploring the outdoors or supporting a small business, the Tacoma fits naturally into many aspects of daily life.

"Just as important, Tacoma owners in Hawaiʻi have built a strong community around the vehicle over the years. For many families, it's a truck they've trusted for generations," he continued. "That combination of capability, reliability, and deep local connection has helped make the Tacoma one of the most recognizable and beloved vehicles in Hawaiʻi."

You'll be able to reserve the truck in person beginning June 6 at Servco Toyota and Maui Toyota dealerships across the Islands. The TSRP, or total suggested retail price, is $44,770 and $7,999 for the Hawai‘i edition accessories.

In 2025, Tacomas made up 7.1% of the market share in Hawai‘i, according to a 

 from the Hawai‘i Automobile Dealers Association.

MY26 Tacoma Hawaii Edition 22

<title>Servco Pacific unveils exclusive Hawai‘i edition Toyota Tacoma</title>

The Tacoma has been Hawai‘i's top-selling vehicle for 25 years.

Servco Pacific unveils exclusive Hawai‘i edition Toyota Tacoma

 is one of 20 in the U.S. nominated for the list of Best Cat Cafés in the 

The awards aim to rank the 10 best in several areas of travel and lifestyle, and the 20 nominees were chosen with the help of a panel of experts.

"Over the past 20 years, cat cafés have made their way from Taiwan to Japan to the United States," 10Best writes. "Here, they've become increasingly popular destinations for everyone from existing cat lovers to those simply looking to shake up their work environment. Not only do they serve delicious menu items like espresso drinks, loaded grilled cheese sandwiches and gyoza, these special cafés have resulted in countless adoptions and donations to local shelters."

Cat Café Maui, which offers cat adoptions and transport via the Fly Hawaiʻi project by Maui Cat Rescue, is located at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center in Kahului

 once a day until 6 a.m. Monday, June 22. Winners will be announced July 1.

Several other Hawai‘i businesses are up for spots on various other 10Best lists, voting for which is underway:

And if you're looking to learn about surfing, several Hawai‘i organizations were recently named to the 10Best list of 

. Maui Surfer Girls took the top spot on the list, while Big Wave Dave Surf & Coffee comes in at No. 6 and Maui Surf Lessons is No. 9.

Cat Café Mau

Several other Hawai‘i businesses are also up for spots on various other 10Best lists.

Ala Moana Center

Ala Moana Center nominated for 10Best list

Food & Dining

The awards rank the 10 best in several travel and lifestyle categories, including Best Cookie Shop.

CREDIT Rolland and Jessica Photography USA Today 10 Best Mitzi Toro 2

The Maui Cookie Lady among Hawai‘i businesses nominated for USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

<title>Cat Café Maui nominated for 10Best list</title>

Cat Café Maui nominated for 10Best list

Crime & Courts

 the City and County of Honolulu after she was fined nearly $600,000 over an improper apartment listing.

In 2019, Sandra May needed a tenant. She had owned a home on Wilhelmina Rise since the 1970s, with a lower unit in the home available for rent by long-term tenants. But after her husband died in 2019, May, living on a fixed Social Security income, needed to make ends meet, but couldn’t find another tenant.

To broaden her search, May listed the unit on several online rental platforms. But May — who her attorney Loren Seehase said “struggles to utilize any kind of technology” — had inadvertently listed the unit as available for less than 30 days.

That same year, the City and County adopted an 

 hiking up fines against property owners illegally hosting short-term rentals. Violators could be fined up to $10,000 for each day a violation persists.

In November 2019, May received a notice of a violation from the city regarding an online property listing. She promptly corrected the listing to show that the unit was only available for periods of 30 days or more, and believed the matter to be done.

Two years later, after the lifting of the Covid-era moratorium on evicting tenants for non-payment of rent, May again was in need of new tenants. Once again she listed the unit online, once again (in 2023) she received a notice of violation from the city, once again she corrected the listing, once again she thought the matter over.

In April 2024, it happened again. Only this time, because this was a recurring violation, the city informed May that she would incur daily $10,000 fines until the listings were corrected.

Unfortunately, May spent much of late March and April in and out of the hospital following a car crash and other medical procedures. By the time she learned of the violation and was able to correct it, 59 days had elapsed — and now she owed the city $590,000.

On the same day, the city also placed a $10,000 lien on May’s property stemming from the second violation.

“She’s like, ‘you know you’re going to put an old lady out on the street,’” Seehase told Aloha State Daily. “‘I can’t pay this, you’d have to take my home.’ And the city responded by saying ‘Well, I guess you’d better get an attorney.’ So, it was a very callous response. Poor Sandra was in tears about it, and there was no conversation, there was no negotiating, there was no listening to reason.”

May sought out attorneys, who referred her to the Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that focuses on property rights cases. Even better for May, the PLF works pro bono, Seehase said.

Seehase said the letter informing May of how much she owed the city did not mention any way to challenge the fines. Without a mechanism within ordinances to challenge the situation, Seehase said the only option is to challenge it on constitutional grounds, in federal court.

In particular, Seehase said the case could be argued to be in violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. That amendment most famously concerns “cruel and unusual punishment,” but also protects against excessive fines.

Seehase said other Eighth Amendment cases have attempted to determine whether particular fines are so ruinous they will destroy a person’s livelihood, weighed in proportion to the actual crime itself.

In this particular case, Seehase said, May’s mistake brought no harm to anybody other than herself.

“This is not the type of situation where we’ve got like a building code violation and lives are imminently in danger,” Seehase said. “This is an advertisement, so there was no harm done to anyone.”

On the other side of the coin, Seehase said the $10,000-per-day fines are the absolute maximum allowed by city ordinance, and that the city could have chosen to reduce those fines at their discretion. Because the city hit May with the $590,000 fines and the $10,000 lien on the same day, Seehase said that “it really kind of appeared that the city went on a vendetta … against poor Sandra.”

Seehase emphasized that, regardless of how the listings may have appeared online, May did not ever offer the property for periods of less than 30 days. If a person attempted to book the property for less than 30 days, May would cancel the booking.

May is seeking relief through the federal court, not monetary damages, Seehase said. Should they win, the court will determine an appropriate remedy, potentially including a partial or total reduction of the fines.

Seehase said the City and County has 21 days to respond once they have been served.

A spokesman for the Department of Planning and Permitting told ASD the department cannot comment on pending litigation.

Sandra May rentalsign 610x407 16x9

<title>Octogenarian sues Honolulu over $600,000 fines</title>

Sandra May was told she owed the city hundreds of thousands of dollars over an improper online rental listing.

Octogenarian sues Honolulu over $600,000 fines

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Ready for another weekend? Aloha State Daily rounded up some ways you can enjoy time off, including three theater productions, plus opportunities to eat and drink or listen to live music!

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, May 29"}]

Catch stand-up comedy at Consolidated Theatres. 

Get ready to laugh with four comedians: Jose Dynamite, Jasmine Bautista, Josh Staples and Cathy Tanaka. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performances start at 7:30 p.m. at Consolidated Theatres Kapolei. There are some R-rated laughs, so this show is recommended for audience members who are at least 18 years old. Tickets are $40, which includes a $20 voucher for concessions. 

Multiple theater productions are on stage this weekend. Catch the musical “Funny Girl,” which runs 

at Diamond Head Theatre. Tickets start at $41, plus fees. 

 See “Yellow Face” at Mānoa Valley Theatre through Sunday, May 31. Tickets start at $44 for subscribers. 

 Finally, catch the premiere of “Memory Beads” by Diane Aoki, which opens Thursday, May 28, and runs through Sunday, June 28, at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Tickets start at $28, plus fees. 

 a dog, cat or chinchilla? It is kitten season, and the Hawaiian Humane Society is at “critical capacity,” according to its website. Can’t adopt? There is also a need for fosters who can help shelter pets regain their confidence by placing them in homes while they await adoption. The Hawaiian Humane Society is also looking for couch crashers who can take adult dogs into their home for a short-term stay and share more about their personality and needs with potential adopters. This past weekend, more than 130 pets came into the shelter seeking homes. 

Eat and drink at the House of Sakura pop-up. 

 is back for a limited time. Those stopping by the pop-up can enjoy Beam Suntory 

, as well as premium sakes, Japanese beers and select wines by the glass. There are also 

shareable dishes, including a seafood platter

, ʻahi sashimi and more. Open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, May 31. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Saturday, May 30"}]

Attend the Science & Sustainability Festival. 

 is holding its annual Science & Sustainability Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its campus in Kalihi. The event includes opportunities to view animal and plant specimens from the museum’s collection and talk story with researchers. The festival will also be the debut of new additions to the Science Adventure Center. There will be more than 40 booths, including federal, state and city agencies and local conservation groups. Admission grants access to all of the Bishop Museum’s galleries and exhibits, including the Hawaiʻi-themed Lego exhibit 

“Ea Mai ‘Eiwa: Patterns of Practice,”

, as well as her husband, Sig Zane, and their son, Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane. Admission is $5 for kamaʻāina and military with online registration. 

 Local Motion’s annual Surf into Summer contest is back. It will take place at Ala Moana Bowls on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31. The event includes amateur surfers, who range in age from seven years old to 70 years old. Check-in times are an hour before each heat. Register ahead of the event. 

This outdoor movie series is a partnership between the City and County of Honolulu, the Waikīkī Improvement Association and Southwest Airlines. Arrive at 4:30 p.m. to enjoy festivities, including live music, games, food, photo opportunities, and more. Bring chairs and blankets. Catch “Zootopia 2” at 7:30 p.m. at Queen’s Beach in Waikīkī. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sunday, May 31"}]

Attend the Hot Girl Summer: A Women in Rap Party. 

This women in rap party features music from artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Nicki Minaj, Flo Milli and more. Beachwear or pink-themed attire is encouraged. 

 runs from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. at Kiki’s Tiki Bar in Waikīkī. Catch Early bird tickets are $10. 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Laugh

<title>Laughs, science and more: What to do on Oʻahu this weekend</title>

Already dreaming of the weekend after three days off? Aloha State Daily can help you make plans for Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31. From a women in rap party in Waikīkī to stand-up comedy in Kapolei, there are lots of events happening this weekend on Oʻahu.

Laughs, science and more: What to do on Oʻahu this weekend

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

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.

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.

Daily Smile: Sunday, May 31, 2026

ASD Staff

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Saturday, May 30, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, May 29, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Most read

Daily Smile: Sunday, May 31, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Saturday, May 30, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, May 29, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Most read